Exploring Relationality: L7 Gallery Winter 2026 Exhibition

Art is fundamentally an exploration of relationships. From the cave paintings of Lascaux to Pollock's Male and Female, artists have long sought to express the interconnected nature of existence. Rather than viewing reality as separate and individual, art often reveals how we exist in constant relation—to people, places, objects, time, memory, and even art itself. This theme echoes across cultures and philosophies. In Taoism, for example, Yin and Yang emerge only in relation to one another. Similarly, we are shaped and defined through our connections.

L7 Gallery invites submissions that explore this concept of relationality through painting, drawing, mixed media, and printmaking. We're looking for work that reflects the dynamic and layered nature of relationship: visually, conceptually and emotionally. Drawing, painting and mixed-media works (including oil, acrylic and watercolor) and hand done printmaking (etching, lithography or wood-lino cuts) are accepted. While there is no minimum size, maximum size is 48 x 48 inches. All art will need to be wired and ready to hang, maximum weight being 20 pounds. Photography, sculpture, computer generated or AI artwork will not be accepted.

The exhibition will take place at Whatcom Art Center in Bellingham, WA from January 16 - February 8, 2026. L7 Gallery will be awarding 1st, 2nd and 3rd place prizes of $500, $300 and $200 respectively. The Award winners will be announced opening night January 16, 2026. Artists can submit 1 to 3 images for consideration with a $30 entry fee. Applications must be completed online through CaFÉ, and artists must include a one paragraph statement with their entry. The juror is Maria Porges, a full professor at California College of the Arts whose reviews have appeared in Artforum, Art in America, and other publications.