The State of Contemporary Drawing

Drawing is often considered the basis of all visual arts. Historically, drawings by Old Masters such as Michelangelo, Raphael, and da Vinci were studies for final painted works. Today, drawings exist as independent artworks rather than preliminary studies, and their popularity among artists and art enthusiasts continues to grow.

Contemporary drawing has expanded beyond traditional techniques. While drawing was historically defined as producing images on paper using marks made with ink, graphite, chalk, charcoal, or crayon, contemporary artists have redefined the medium to include processes such as burning, cutting, scratching, sticking, writing, and sewing, as well as materials like wax and metals. These works blur the boundaries between drawing and other art mediums. Contemporary artists are using drawing to address questions of identity, place, time, memory, protest, power, and systems.

This exhibition showcases contemporary drawing selected from submissions. Entry fee is $10 for the first work and $2 for each additional work, up to a maximum of 5 works. A CV or artist statement is required. Eligibility is open to any artist who considers their work to be contemporary drawing. The exhibition runs from November 4 to December 23, 2021.