OPEN CALL FOR ARTISTS



Unspoken Codes — A Community Exhibition
Presented by Common Names | Opening October 2025 in Los Angeles








ABOUT COMMON NAMES

Common Names is a youth-led creative initiative that opens to people of all backgrounds, the
project creates quiet, open-ended spaces where individuals can reflect on private thoughts,
moments of uncertainty, and unspoken emotional landscapes.

Through drawing, writing, spatial storytelling, and soft forms of collaboration, Common
Names offers a shared platform for artists — especially those in transitional stages — to express
and connect.

At its core, the project values presence over resolution. It invites resonance, not answers. And it
builds community by honoring the personal and the poetic, side by side.






ABOUT THE EXHIBITION

Unspoken Codes grows out of a dynamic and ongoing exploration—one rooted in the everyday
experience of moving through social, cultural, and emotional landscapes that feel unfamiliar,
uneven, or quietly instructive. It explores the quiet ways we adapt, perform, or resist in response
to invisible expectations. These include the social scripts, cultural assumptions, and internalized
hierarchies that shape how people move through the world.

This exhibition aims to bring together works that reflect emotional and psychological shifts
during moments of transition. It asks what unspoken rules we follow to belong, when we
conform, when we adjust, and when we choose to diverge.





WHO WE’RE LOOKING FOR

We’re inviting 10–15 emerging artists whose work resonates with the exhibition theme.
We welcome:

• Early-career artists or artists currently in a transitional period (personal, professional, or creative)
• All mediums: painting, text, sound, installation, photography, video
• Artists connected to Los Angeles or with stories of displacement, transition, or cultural tension






HOW TO APPLY

Please submit:

• A short artist statement (max 300 words)
• A proposal (200–300 words) explaining your work and how it connects to Unspoken Codes
Up to 5 images, videos, or sketches
• A short bio (max 150 words)
• Optional: website or portfolio link

Submit via: info@commonnames.com
Deadline: August 10, 2025






WHAT WE PROVIDE

• Full coverage of production and material costs
• Coverage of shipping or delivery to the exhibition site
• Timeline and installation guidance
• Opportunity to exhibit in a professionally curated group show
(Select artists may also be invited to participate in editorial and press features)






SELECTION CRITERIA

Artists will be selected based on:
• Relevance to the theme
• Authenticity of voice
• Clarity of concept
• Artistic originality and emotional depth






KEY DATES

Submission Deadline: August 31, 2025
Notification: September 5, 2025
Work Due: September 19, 2025
Opening: October 18, 2025