Call Description

CALL FOR ART: THE UNKNOWN

The Lab on Santa Fe, situated in Colorado's Art District on Santa Fe, known for its First Fridays that attract thousands of attendees, invites artists to submit work for The Unknown, a group exhibition.

In previous calls we have danced around topics that honor compassion, faith, presence, and the transformative power of spiritual inquiry; this exhibition is an intentional widening of the conversation to reflect the current moment. The Unknown expands the field to include artists whose relationship to belief feels strained, fragmented, or unresolved—especially during these times.

We may want the unknown—but accepting the terror that comes with this leap is a whole different story.

A touchstone for this inquiry is the wacky and wild philosophical film I Heart Huckabees, where a surprisingly profound revelation arrives in just four words: no manure, no magic. Absurd, comic, and deeply sincere, the film reminds us that confusion, breakdown, and discomfort are not detours from meaning—but often the conditions that make meaning possible at all.

This exhibition holds space for both: the deep spiritual labor of devotion and the grit of doubt, exhaustion, nihilism, and spiritual disorientation. It recognizes that many paths toward meaning now pass through uncertainty rather than clarity.

The Unknown is interested in work that explores:

• Spiritual practice, devotion, or presence

• Doubt, loss of faith, nihilism, or existential humor

• The tension between longing for meaning and rejecting easy answers

• Terror, absurdity, emptiness, and ecstatic uncertainty

• Beauty that arises from not-knowing

All mediums are welcome, including painting, sculpture, photography, video, performance, sound, installation, text-based work, and hybrid forms.

This exhibition is not about choosing belief over doubt—or doubt over belief.

It is about holding both without apology.

About honoring wisdom and admitting when it breaks.

About wanting the unknown—and staying with the terror.

Artists of all backgrounds and career stages are encouraged to apply.

Application Requirements

-All art submitted must be for sale.

-Measurements on applications need to be accurate in size.

Eligibility Criteria

-This exhibit is eligible for all artists in the United States.