What kind of boundary is the surface? The notion of a surface or the surface suggests delimitation, an outside or uppermost layer. But as a verb it also implies a movement, surfacing out of water and towards air. As a durable layer of our everyday surroundings, it might mean texture, plastics, wood, or other human-made or extracted materials. Hands plunged beneath the surface of the earth to push plant roots down or knees abraded on concrete sidewalks. How does the surface shape engage with the material world? How do some surfaces come to be considered permanent while others permeable? How does the idea of a surface translate to the digital realm? How did the surface become understood as a metaphor for a (lack of) profundity of knowledge? How is the surface implicated in the status of the image itself, as a support or as a medium?
We invite submissions that consider the surface in artistic practice, criticism, and writing.
Some keywords: Substrate, grass, astroturf, the moon, superficial, rising above, texture, facade, coating, paint, varnish, tattoos, work spaces, tactility, plastic, shiny, cleaning, swimming, studio tables, kitchen floors, outer appearance, superficial vs deep knowledge, facade, cover, veneer, colour, wallpaper, shell, reflection, interior/exterior, coating, skin, periphery, peel, plane, platform, patina, pretense, warp/weft, landing, screen, membrane, topography, permeable.
Pitches for features, conversations, artist profiles, and artist projects will be accepted until November 10, 2023. Send pitches to submissions@blackflash.ca with the subject line 41.1 PITCH.
Your pitch should be approximately 150 words and include the following:
- Your subject
- Your approach to the subject
- Why you are the person to write on this
- Why you think BlackFlash Magazine readers will be interested in your topic
- Estimated word count
If you have recent writing samples that you would like us to consider, you can include them as links (to publications or to your website) or as .pdf attachments. If you have not been published before that is okay! Give us a sense of your writing style in your pitch.
To familiarize yourself with the different kinds of texts we publish, please take a look at some of our recent publications. If you have an idea for a submission that doesn’t neatly fit into one of our established formats, pitch us anyway! Just be sure to give us a sense of what format or genre you will be exploring in your contribution.
FEATURES: A 2,000-2,500 word text on a critical theme in contemporary art and culture, exploring urgent topics, under-explored histories, and objects of fascination you haven’t seen written about elsewhere.
Recent features we love include:
Belinda Kwan’s reflections on digital access and disability justice in new media art and arts administration.
Neil Price’s consideration of Black art and the natural world.
Michael Peterson’s essay on the legacy and impact of Saskatoon’s Red Shift Gallery.
Writer’s fee: $1,000
CONVERSATIONS: A 2,500-3,000 word conversation between you and an artist, writer, or organizer, delving into their practice or a mutually shared topic of interest, including a brief introduction by the interviewer.
Excellent recent interviews include:
Luther Konadu in conversation with Leonard Suryajaya about their expansive, theatrical photographic practice.
Farid Djamalov in conversation with Preston Pavlis on the contested politics of self-figuration.
Kay Slater in conversation with Q Lawrence, one of the disability activists organizing to fight the MAID (Medical Assistance in Dying) legislation.
Writer’s fee: $750.00
Interviewee honorarium: $150.00
ARTIST PROFILES: Introduce readers to a contemporary visual artist in a 1500 word text.
Recent artist profiles include:
Shahroze Khan considers the work of Lido Pimienta.
Cole Thompson examines one of Sean Weisgerger’s paintings.
Writer’s fee: $600.00
ARTIST PROJECTS: Showcase your studio practice and research in concert with the theme. Here, the portfolio of images take the starring role. Projects can include 500 words plus a portfolio of images to fill up to six pages.
Recent artist projects include:
DO I INTIMIDATE: Reflections from the Creative Director by Peace Akintade
Artist’s fee: $450.00
Submissions Timeline:
November 10th – Pitches close
Late November – Review of pitches by Editorial Committee
December 1st – Selected contributors notified (if your pitch isn’t selected we will notify you in early December)
January 15th – First draft due
May 2024 – Publication
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