UTOPIA / DYSTOPIA

CALLING for PROJECTS

IKONO ART propose to any visual artist to submit their works under the theme Utopia-Dystopia to participate to a competition and access to a larger eponymous exhibition in partnership with the Torrence Art Museum in Los Angeles and a gallery in the Netherlands.

UTOPIA / DYSTOPIA is the matter of our time.

Since the early 2020s, our world has been hurtling along in a frenzied, unbalanced trajectory: epidemics, wars, damaged ecosystems, extreme poverty or colossal wealth, neglected social and cultural differences, racism, isolation of peoples and colonization, technological acceleration, information overload and disinformation…
The list of our society’s ills could go on.

Yet, it doesn’t stop there. Life goes on. It resists, rebuilds itself, imagines, or dreams of a better future.

This exhibition invites you to cast your artistic eye on our societal dysfunctions or to lay the foundations for an ideal or a renewal.

We can accept several medias, painting, photography, paperworks, digital, video, installation …
Because the final exhibition will be sent to US and Europe, the artwork selected must be on raisonnable size, with a light weight. Large format on canvas will be rolled to reduce the volume.
Even if Sculpture or 3 dimentional proposition can be proposed for the Part 1 Exhibition, due to volume and weight, it might not be accepted at the final step for the international exhibitions.

1 - APPLICATION

All the following documents and informations must be sent by mail to info@ikono.art
Subject line: UTOPIA/DYSTOPIA – Artist NAME
(All the informations must be writen in english as mandatory – French and japanese accepted as second language)

or by postage at the address (No original artwork, only photographies are required on the first step)
Address : IKONO ART - UTOPIA DYSTOPIA - 140-0011　Tokyo, Shinagawa-ku, Higashi Oi 3-11-18 - 304

Application date : must be received before JULY 1st
(No extension of the term, we recommend to submit early)

Application Fee
Initial submission is totaly free of charge.

ARTWORKS

• 1 to 5 artworks for the contest (Existing or on going – for unfinish artworks, we recommend to specify your delay of completion with the description of the filnal result. Unfinished project will be on the waiting list and can’t be exhibited if not complete)
• 3 to 10 additional works «Portfolio» (Works from your portfolio related to, or close to the subject (Reference works won’t be a part of the selection for the competition)

Each photo must be named by order of preference):
« 1-ARTIST-Title-size cm-media-year-CONTEST » ;
« 2-ARTIST-Title-size cm-media-year-CONTEST »….
« 4-ARTIST-Title-size cm-media-year-PORTOFOLIO »….

(specify if it is a serie by adding a letter : 1A, 1B, 1C, 2, 3A, 3B…
(File in JPEG or PNG, 1500 to 2500 pixels on the largest side.)

STATEMENT

• NAME – Pseudonym – Birth date – Living town/country
• Statement of artist (100 words maximum)
• Biography (50 words + 5 to 10 major performances : exhibitions/Artfair/Award/…)
• Artwork list including : Title, Size, Media, Date of creation, for each artwork presented to the contest. (Thank you to add the selling price for information).
• Comment for each artwork presented to the contest, especially how it respond to our theme, Utopia, Dystopia, or both (comment for the Portofolio artworks is not necessary)

For collaboration, thank you to communicate the name of all artists, and mention the context of this collaboration.

2 - SELECTION

Sebastien Lebegue, curator at IKONO ART, with the support of Stephane Leroux (Atelier 485) & Jonathan Rossazza (Night Out) will select the artworks for the UTOPIA/ DYSTOPIA exhibition – Part 1.
An artist can have one or more artworks selected.
A submission do not garanty to be selected for the exhibition.

Result will be announced July 15th.

A formal contract will be sent to the selected Artists. Condition must be accepted and returned by mail before the 1th of august to complete the result.

Entrance exhibition Fee

Even if this Call for Project is organized and supported by IKONO ART, Final submission will include additional symbolic fee to support transportation, and exhibition fee.
Any artist who propose artworks for submission engage him/herself to pay the entrance fee for each artwork selected.
We remind that initial submission is FREE of charge.

Selected artworks for exhibition will generate entrance fee as follow :

• SMALL •
Artworks under 40 cm on longer side (frame included) : 8.000 ¥ by selected artwork
• MEDIUM •
Artworks from 41 cm to 90cm on longer side (frame included) : 10.000 ¥ by selected artwork
• LARGE •
Artworks from 91 cm to 160cm on longer side (frame included) : 15.000 ¥ by selected artwork

Please note:
Due to space limitations, we will restrict the selection of large formats to 6 to 10 for the exhibitions. We recommend that you vary the formats when submitting your projects.
For larger artworks (maximum 200cm) or serial composition, thank you to communicate initially your intention to check the possibilities of entering the contest and to know the entrance fee.

In case of multiple selection, the entrance fee will be reduced as follow :
2 artworks : 20 % off on total
3 artworks : 30 % off on total

3 – RECEPTION OF ARTWORK

All original artworks must be received between July 15th to August 15th
to STUDIO IKONO / IKONO ART
286-0841 Chiba ken, Narita Shi, Otake 2175-8
286-0841 千葉県成田市大竹2175-8

Sending fee or transportation of the artworks is on the sole charge of the submitter.
(No delay accepted - Contact the organisation in advance to the final delivery process)

4 – EXHIBITION & COMPETITION

Exhibition will be held in Shinagawa-ku Gallery in Oimachi from 9th to 14th of September 2026
About 30 artworks will be exhibited (regarding size and subject).
This exhibition is a competition for a second selection to access to the final exhibition in LA / Nederland / Tokyo again.
An average of 10 to 15 artworks (regarding size and subject) will be selected by a Jury of curators.

An artist can have one or more artworks selected.
To exhibit in the UTOPIA / DYSTOPIA (part 1) do not garanty to be selected for the final exhibition.

Result will be announced at the end of the exhibition or within one month. (Detail will be annouce later)

5 – RETURN OF THE ARTWORKS

All the arworks will be kept untill the end of october to finalize the selection.
After the exhibition, they will be stock in STUDIO IKONO in Narita.

From the 1st of november, the unselected artworks can be taken away directly in STUDIO IKONO (free of charge with previous appointment), or will be sent back by TA-Q-Bin or Fine art transport regarding artist demand (Any return fee is on the sole charge of the artist).

Any artworks that won’t be solicited within 3 months (untill january 31th) will be destroyed or will be kept by Ikono art.

6 – FINAL EXHIBITION

This serie of 3 exhibitions minimum will be planed during 2027 / 2028 in Los Angeles, Nederland and Tokyo (again).
Detailled information will be communicated later.

7 – INFORMATIONS

Contact and application :

Mail : info@ikono.art
Phone : +81 80 2031 4296
Address : 140-0011 Tokyo, Shinagawa-ku, Higashi Oi 3-11-18-304

Selected Artworks only :
Address : STUDIO IKONO 286-0841 Chiba, Narita-shi, Otake 2175-8

ikono合同会社 (Ikono gk)
Founder and CEO: Sebastien Lebegue
IKONO ART / STUDIO IKONO / IKO ART / MARCESTEL COLLECTIONS
IKONO PHOTOGRAPHY / IKONO PROLAB / IKONO DESIGN