BlackFlash Issue 42.2 (Fall 2025)
Deadline: March 21, 2025
Regardless of the angle from which one approaches it, “domestic” is a loaded term. In the arts, its most immediate connotations might be tied to the feminist movement—works by Martha Rosler or Louise Bourgeois, or writings by Toni Morrison or Adrienne Rich—forming part of a canon that critically interrogates the domestic sphere as a site of labour, assumed disproportionately by women, as well as potential violence and trauma.
The title of the latest Venice Biennale, Foreigners Everywhere, riffs on what, at first glance, appears to be a reactionary refrain, prompting a reconsideration of “foreign” as a state of otherness—presumably in contrast to a hegemonic “domestic.” This binary has taken on new political urgency in 2025, as the United States enters an era of intensified nativist propagandizing, aggressive tariffs, and unprecedented imperialistic rhetoric, developments that have, in turn, fueled a renewed investment in Canadian nationalism. “Domestic” operates under a manifold of meanings, each carrying significant weight in the present. As family structures evolve, global allegiances fracture, and the rising cost of living reshapes where and how we are able to reside, the term continues to accrue cultural and political baggage.
It is, therefore, unsurprising that the domestic remains an enduring catalyst for creative inquiry—continually queered, reimagined beyond the nuclear family, and extended to consider our relationships with pets and the natural world, the formation of identity and kinship, the organization of exhibitions and artistic movements, and the tensions between the personal and the political, the regional and the national, the national and the global, and the centre and the margin.
Some keywords: Foreign; Other; Home; Labour; Parenting; Queer; Feminism; Domesticity; Indigeneity; Nations; Treaties; Nationalism; Imperialism; Borders; Citizenship; Migration; Globalization; Travel; Tourism; Regionalism; Feminist Art; Canon; Cosmopolitanism; Public/Private; Housing; Pets; Family; Community
Pitches for features, conversations, artist profiles, and artist projects will be accepted until March 21, 2025. Send pitches to submissions@blackflash.ca with the subject line 42.2 PITCH.
Your pitch should be under 250 words and provide a concise summary of your topic and approach. Explain your angle on the subject. If it’s a topic that’s been widely covered, highlight your unique critical perspective. The pitch should reflect the style and tone of your intended piece, giving a clear sense of your authorial voice. Please include an estimated word count and any relevant hyperlinks.
If you have recent writing samples (published or unpublished) that you would like us to consider, you can include them as links (to publications or your website), or as attachments.
We compile each issue from a mix of commissioned texts and pitched submissions. Since we review pitches on a rolling basis, we encourage early submissions, as the issue may be full before the deadline.
To familiarize yourself with the different kinds of texts we publish, please take a look at some of our recent publications. When pitching please indicate the format (ie: conversation, feature, etc). Please do not send multiple pitches for the same issue.
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 include:
Steph Wong Ken responds to the Fragments of Epic Memory exhibition at the Art Gallery of Ontario
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.
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.
Angel Callander in Conversation with Yang Wen Chang
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
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