Project 1838
How do we continue to perceive belonging within conditions of constant movement?
Buffer Room explores belonging as a fluid condition shaped through movement, memory, and sensory experience. Focusing on migration, cultural displacement, and transitional states, the exhibition reimagines “home” as an evolving process of adaptation, perception, and lived experience.
Event Info & Schedule
Project 1838 Buffer Room
Project 1838 - Buffer Room Exhibition explores how belonging is produced under conditions of continuous mobility.
In today’s highly mobile urban condition, belonging is no longer anchored to a fixed location. For those living within multicultural contexts, movement across cities and geographies has become a norm, and “home” is increasingly understood as fluid, personal, and shaped through lived experience.
Taking mobility as its conceptual framework, Buffer Room reimagines the “buffer space” not as a physical site, but as a psychological and relational process. Within migration, difference, and uncertainty, individuals continuously recalibrate their sense of self through objects, sensory experiences, and everyday gestures, producing temporary forms of grounding and fragile stability.
The exhibition proposes a transitional field in which “home” is understood not as a fixed destination, but as something continuously produced through movement.
We invite submissions that respond to experiences of belonging, migration, transition, and cultural displacement in contemporary life.
5 to 12 June 2026
@ Creative Asia Art Centre
THEME
Buffer Room
How do we continue to perceive belonging within conditions of constant movement?
Buffer Room positions space not as a fixed site, but as an active condition shaped through movement, transition, and perception. The exhibition seeks to foreground belonging not as a stable identity, but as something continuously formed through interaction with environment, memory, and sensory experience.
Rather than representing migration or displacement as fixed narratives, the exhibition aims to activate an understanding of belonging as an ongoing process—one that is negotiated through small gestures, embodied routines, and adaptive responses to changing contexts.
The curatorial intention is to create a reflective space where artists and audiences can engage with the emotional and perceptual conditions of movement. Through this, the exhibition asks how “home” might be re-imagined not as a destination, but as a lived and evolving experience.
We welcome works that explore migration, embodied memory, cultural displacement, and transitional states, with a focus on how these conditions shape perception, identity, and everyday life.
CALL FOR ARTISTS
BUFFER ROOM 2026
Buffer Room invites artists to submit works that engage with how belonging is perceived, constructed, and negotiated in conditions of continuous mobility.
On Belonging in Conditions of Continuous Mobility
The exhibition proposes Buffer Room as a transitional field situated between staying and leaving, familiarity and dislocation. Here, “home” is no longer understood as a fixed destination, but as a condition that is continuously produced within movement.
We are particularly interested in works that explore:
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Migration and transnational movement
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Transitional and liminal spaces
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Cultural displacement and hybridity
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Embodied memory and sensory experience
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Everyday rituals of adaptation and grounding
All mediums are welcome, including (but not limited to):
installation, video, photography, sculpture, painting, performance, sound, and interdisciplinary practices.
PUBLIC PROGRAM
The exhibition will be accompanied by a series of public programs, including workshops and artist talk, designed to encourage participation, connection, and shared cultural experiences. Key dates and program details will be announced on our website. Please stay tuned for updates.
ELIGIBILITY
This open call is open to artists, collectives, and practitioners at all stages of their careers.
We welcome submissions from individuals working across diverse cultural, geographic, and disciplinary backgrounds. Both local and international applicants are encouraged to apply.
Applications are open to individuals as well as collaborative groups. Artists working across disciplines, hybrid practices, or non-traditional formats are also warmly invited to submit.
SELECTION CRITERIA
Submissions will be assessed on:
• Conceptual clarity and relevance to the 2026 theme
• Artistic merit and strength of practice
• Professional presentation of materials
• Contribution to the overall curatorial vision
KEY DATES
Call for Artist closes
28 MAY 2026
Application Deadline
1 JUNE 2026
Exhibition Dates
5-12 JUNE 2026
EXHIBITION INSTALLATION FEE
Up to 200 cm
ARTWORK DIMENSIONS
Maximum Artwork Size
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Maximum artwork width: 2m
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Independent display booth
Benefits
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Full-page feature in official exhibition brochure (artwork + artist statement)
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One complimentary printed brochure
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Two customised bookmarks featuring the artist’s artwork
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Dedicated individual promotional poster on official social media
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Customised Opening Invitation Letter featuring the artist’s artwork and name (for personal promotion use)
$225
+ GST
> 100 cm and
Up to 160 cm
ARTWORK DIMENSIONS
Maximum Artwork Size
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Maximum artwork width: 1.6m
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Independent display booth
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Share Video Artwork Display
Benefits
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Full-page feature in official exhibition brochure
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Shared promotional poster on official social media (grouped with 2–3 artists)
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Customised Opening Invitation Letter featuring the artist’s artwork and name
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Video - Maximum 5 minutes per artist (looped screening)
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2–4 artists per screen
$175
+ GST
> 50 cm and
Up to 100 cm
ARTWORK DIMENSIONS
Maximum Artwork Size
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Maximum width: 1m
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Individual or shared display (depending on layout)
Benefits
-
Small-format listing in official exhibition brochure (1/3 page or grouped section)
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Group social media announcement
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Customised Opening Invitation Letter featuring the artist’s artwork and name
$125
+ GST
For example, if you submit three paintings (a set or series) that are
50 cm, 60 cm, and 40 cm wide, the longest side of the set is calculated as
the total width of all three paintings, i.e., 150 cm.
USEFUL INFORMATION
FOR ARTISTS
Creative Asia Art Centre
FAQs
What types of artworks are accepted?
Artworks in any medium are welcome, including painting, photography, installation, sculpture, textile, digital media.
Are there any restrictions on medium, size, or style?
There are no strict restrictions on medium, size, or style. Artists are encouraged to work in any medium that fits the exhibition theme. However, please note that the size of your artwork will affect the exhibition fee which is listed in the exhibition fee table above.
Can I choose where my work is displayed?
No, the exhibition team will determine placement to ensure the best presentation for all participating artists. However, if you have any specific display requirements, please don’t hesitate to contact us — we’ll do our best to accommodate where possible. Please note that additional fees may apply if special installation requirements are needed.
Can I cancel or withdraw my submission after I've applied?
Artists may cancel their participation before the Call for Artists closing date. Please contact us as soon as possible if you need to withdraw in writing. Late cancellations may not be accepted once the exhibition planning has commenced.
The submission fee is non-refundable for cancellations made within 14 days of the event. For cancellations made at least 21 days before the event, 50% of the fee will be refunded.
How to deliver and pick up my artwork?
Delivery — Artwork must be delivered to the Creative Asia Art Centre during opening hours along with the Delivery Form:
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Mon–Fri: 12:00 PM – 5:00 PM (closed Wednesdays)
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Sat: 12:00 PM – 6:00 PM, Sun: 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Pick Up — Artwork collection can be made after the exhibition during CAAC opening hours. Please make your booking at the time of submission.
