2016 Aperture Summer Open: Photography Is Magic

The Aperture Summer Open is an annual open-submission exhibition at Aperture Foundation's gallery in New York, featuring work from photographers of all levels. Selected annually by a prominent curator or editor, the exhibition seeks to reveal and report on critical themes and trends driving international contemporary photographic practice.

The 2016 Summer Open is curated by Charlotte Cotton and takes its cue from Aperture's publication "Photography Is Magic." The exhibition seeks photographs exploring what is magical: pictures found in everyday life, studio or desktop experiments, and active choices in rendering ideas into photographic form. All kinds of photographs are welcome, including analog or digital techniques. Proposals for framed and unframed prints, vinyl wallpapers, newsprint, slideshows, animations, and sculptural works are accepted.

Submissions must be contemporary work made within the last five years. All entrants must be current Aperture Members through April 8, 2016. Submissions are accepted from February 8, 2016 until April 6, 2016 at 12:00 noon eastern time. Selected photographers will be contacted by June 1, 2016. Artists are responsible for producing, delivering, and retrieving their work at their own expense. Submissions should include 1 to 12 images, a resume or 150-word biography, artwork details (title, date, medium, size), and a statement of up to 250 words describing the work, your practice aims, and ideas regarding the magical properties of photography. Include a clear description of the format of your work and any specific installation instructions or required equipment.