Call for Submissions - THRESHOLDS Collective Art Exhibition by Kulturnest

Kulturnest calls artists in Lebanon and abroad to submit works for “THRESHOLDS”, a collective art exhibition curated by Dr. Pamela Chrabieh - Kulturnest co-founder & CEO - inviting artists to explore the spaces, moments, and emotional states that exist between what has ended and what has not yet begun.

Theme

After our Havens exhibition, which explored the fragile shelters we build, remember, imagine, and carry within us in times of instability and war, THRESHOLDS opens a new question: what happens when we stand at the edge of crossing?

A threshold is not only a doorway. It can be a border, a pause, a wound, a limit, a passage, a beginning, or a point of no return. It is the space between inside and outside, silence and speech, shelter and exposure, memory and transformation, fear and movement, rupture and return, intimate/personal and public/collective.

In the current context of war, displacement, uncertainty, and exhaustion in Lebanon, the region, and beyond, many of us find ourselves living in-between: between staying and leaving, grief and rebuilding, attachment and release, survival and renewal. Thresholds may be physical, emotional, political, spiritual, domestic, symbolic, or imagined.

Kulturnest invites artists to reflect on these charged in-between spaces. What do we carry before crossing? What keeps us from moving forward? What must be left behind? What forms of care, resistance, imagination, and courage become possible at the edge?

Thresholds can be (but are not limited to):

Spaces: doors, windows, balconies, corridors, borders, ruins, staircases, homes, cities, checkpoints, gardens, imagined passages.

Bodies & emotions: hesitation, fear, courage, grief, desire, exhaustion, transformation, waiting, return.

Objects & rituals: keys, suitcases, letters, clothing, family objects, prayer, farewell gestures, repeated daily acts.

Collective realities: migration, displacement, war, memory, reconstruction, protest, belonging, exile, survival.

Inner landscapes: dreams, memories, imagined futures, personal turning points, invisible crossings.

Artists are free to respond in any mood: intimate, poetic, political, symbolic, critical, tender, dark, playful, or experimental. The central question is open: What does it mean to stand at a threshold, and how can art make that moment visible?

Accepted Media & Formats

All media are accepted, as long as the work resonates with the theme.

Accepted media may include painting, drawing, photography, sculpture, installation, textile, mixed media, object-based work, digital art, poetry, music, video, sound, and other forms of artistic expression. AI-generated artworks with human-infused intention, guidance, and creativity are also accepted.

Accepted formats:

1. For wall-hung works: max. 100 × 150 cm per piece. Works exceeding these dimensions must be approved in advance.
2. For 3D / free-standing/object-based works: max. dimensions 60 cm width × 60 cm depth × 150 cm height. Works exceeding these dimensions must be approved in advance.
3. For digital, video, poetry, music, or sound works: files must be submitted in a format suitable for online catalogue display, depending on the final curatorial selection.

Exhibition Format & Participation Fees

Physical exhibition at Kulturnest + online catalogue: USD 150 per selected artist.

The exhibition will take place physically at Kulturnest, Sin-el-Fil, Lebanon. An online catalogue/exhibition collection will also be published on Kulturnest’s website, allowing wider access to the selected artists, artworks, descriptions, and prices.

Online catalogue/exhibition collection only: USD 100 per selected artist.

More than a static display, the online catalogue or exhibition collection allows visitors to explore each artist’s profile, read the stories and details behind the artworks, and purchase selected pieces directly online, with worldwide shipping available in just a few clicks.

HOW TO APPLY

Please submit the information requested below to hello@kulturnest.com by August 15, 2026.

Your email should be titled:

“THRESHOLDS Exhibition Application”

Your application must include:

• Indicate if full participation or online catalogue only
• Artist full name
• Social media links - URLs, not only usernames
• WhatsApp contact number, including country code
• Artist biography in the 3rd person, max. 250 words - CVs are not accepted
• Artist portrait, preferably while creating or in one’s atelier, black and white, square format, JPG or PNG, 1600 × 1600 px, max. 2 MB
• Up to 5 high-resolution images of relevant artworks, 1600 × 1600 px, JPG or PNG, each image max. 1 MB. Kulturnest will select up to 3 works per artist, based on how well they fit the theme and the overall curatorial plan.
• Detailed descriptions for each submitted artwork: title, technique, medium/material, dimensions in cm, weight in grams if applicable, production year, artwork statement/narrative (the story), and asking price (information included in the email body or in a Google Doc/Word Doc -- no PDFs)
• For video, music, poetry recitation, sound, or short film works: MP4 or audio files via WeTransfer, with file size that does not exceed 8 MB.

Please ensure that all images, videos, and files are labeled with the titles of the artworks for easy identification.

Sales note: Kulturnest will add a 35% commission on sales to the artist’s asking price + 11% VAT, which the client is responsible for paying.

Payment & Agreement Signing Deadline

Upon receiving Kulturnest’s acceptance email, selected artists must settle the non-refundable participation fee of 150$ (basic participation fee) OR 100$ (online participation fee only) and sign the Kulturnest-Artist agreement by the specified deadline.

Payment options:

Payment can be made either:

1. In cash: at Kulturnest, during visiting hours
2. Via Whish Wallet to +9613008245

Artists who choose to pay via Whish Wallet are responsible for covering any additional transfer fees, withdrawal fees, or service charges applied by Whish. The full participation fee must be received by Kulturnest after all fees are deducted. Please check directly with Whish for the applicable daily exchange rate, transfer fees, and withdrawal charges before sending the payment.

For international artists: via OMT, Western Union, or bank transfer. Artists are responsible for transfer and withdrawal fees. Please check directly with their offices or your bank for the applicable daily exchange rate, transfer fees, and withdrawal charges before sending the payment.

Failure to complete the payment and sign the agreement by the specified deadline will result in the termination of the collaboration.

*Cover Hybrid Artwork: Dr. Pamela Chrabieh (sketch on paper & Procreate, 2026)

Key Dates

Submission deadline: August 15, 2026.
Selection announcements by email + WhatsApp: August 31, 2026.
Payment & agreement signing deadline: September 10, 2026.
Selected artworks delivery to Kulturnest: October 14 and 16, 2026, 11 AM to 6 PM.
Exhibition opening: Saturday, October 24, 2026, 6 to 9 PM.
Exhibition on view: October 24 to December 4, 2026.
Public visiting hours: Wednesdays and Fridays, 11 AM to 6 PM.
Collector viewings: by appointment.
Artwork pick-up: December 4 and 9, 2026, 11 AM to 6 PM.

We look forward to receiving your submissions and continuing this journey together.

+9613008245 (Dr. Pamela Chrabieh, Kulturnest co-founder & CE0)
hello@kulturnest.com
kulturnest.com