Southwest Contemporary Vol. 12 — OBSESSION
Obsession. I’m OBSESSED.
For Southwest Contemporary Volume 12, we want to hear all about your obsessions. What drives your passion? What’s stuck in your head? What can’t you keep your hands off of? What’s your Roman Empire?
In an attention-based economy, an obsession is a gold mine. You can fall down a rabbit hole, and suddenly you’re hooked.
An obsession can be a strong passion, a deep desire to consume, to know, to do, or to own. It can feel like love, the heart-fluttering longing of a crush. But obsessions can veer into darker territory: fetishizations, compulsions, fixations. The art world has long been driven by obsessions—of artists and of collectors—by the drive to create and the drive to possess.
In this issue, we’ll take deep dives into niche topics. We’ll dig into artists’ obsessions with physical materials, processes, ideas, and research. We’ll talk about the fascination that drives the impulse to collect and to create.
How do your obsessions come through in your work?
We invite artists (18+) living and working across the Southwest whose work, in any medium, responds to or is engaged with the theme of obsession to apply. Artists are encouraged to think broadly about these ideas.
Register for the Information Session
To learn more about this open call for artists, the theme, and the submission/jurying process, attend a virtual info session and Q+A with our editorial team on Wednesday, April 30, 1 pm MDT.
Selected Artists Receive:
- A two-page spread featuring their work in Southwest Contemporary Vol. 12.
- A profile article written by an SWC contributor.
- A feature on SWC‘s newsletter and social media channels.
Guest Juror: Raphael Fonseca, Curator of Modern and Contemporary Latin American Art, Denver Art Museum
Raphael Fonseca is a researcher in curation, art history, art criticism, and education. He is the head of the department of modern and contemporary Latin American art at the Denver Art Museum. He is the chief curator of the 14th Mercosur Biennial, which opened in March 2025 in Porto Alegre, Brazil. He is also part of the curatorial ensemble responsible for the Counterpublic triennial, in 2026, in St. Louis, Missouri. He co-curated the 22nd SESC_Videobrasil Biennale. He worked as a curator at MAC Niterói, Brazil, from 2017 to 2020. He holds a PhD in criticism and art history from the State University of Rio de Janeiro. The juxtaposition of different temporalities and how this can trigger contemporary reflections for audiences are crucial in his practice. Humor, absurdity, pop culture, and the notion that an exhibition relates to the ideas of assembly, set design, and spectacle have grown among his research interests. He works with artists from everywhere but with a more significant focus on the ones born and/or based in the so-called Global South.
Who Should Apply:
SWC invites artists and artist collectives at any stage of their career to submit work in any visual arts discipline. All media are accepted: painting, sculpture, new media, performance, printmaking, fiber arts, photography, mixed media, video, installation, and more.
Eligibility:
- Artists (age 18+) primarily residing and working in Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Northern Mexico, Texas, or Utah.
- Artists previously featured in print by SWC within the last 18 months are not eligible.
Requirements:
- Submissions are only accepted through the form linked below.
- Submit 5 images/videos/audio files of different artworks (each file no larger than 10 MB. Print-quality images will be requested at a later date if needed.)
- If video files are larger than 10 MB, please submit a PDF with a public web link to the full video (Youtube, Vimeo).
- Collectives should make a single submission.
- Artist Bio must be no more than 300 words and no more than 2500 characters.
- Artist Statement must be no more than 300 words and no more than 2500 characters.
- Artwork does not need to be for sale.
- Artwork should be recent within the last five years.
- $15 submission fee.
Important Dates:
- Entry Deadline: Thursday, May 15, 11:59 pm MDT.
- All artists will be notified of the final decision in late June or early July 2025. If your work is selected, you will receive further information at that time.
- Published: September 2025.
Submission Reviews (Optional Offer)
If you would like constructive, one-on-one feedback on your submission, we offer consults with members of the Southwest Contemporary editorial team. If you sign up for a Submission Review, you will be assigned to one of SWC‘s editorial leads, and we will contact you to coordinate your 25-minute consult:
- Natalie Hegert, SWC arts editor, art writer, and curator.
- Jordan Eddy, SWC editorial director, art writer, and curator.
- Lauren Tresp, SWC publisher and editor.
These 25-minute Submission Reviews will take place via Zoom and are priced at $50. **This offer is completely optional and has no impact on the jurying process.**
About the $15 Submission Fee
All submission fees go toward supporting the writers, editors, contributors, and staff who make our publications possible. If you are unable to pay at this time, we understand and urge you to submit your work for general editorial consideration instead. To do so, send 3-5 samples of your artwork, your bio, artist statement, website, and any other relevant links to editor@southwestcontemporary.com. Please note that submission fees are nonrefundable and editorial coverage is not guaranteed.
About the Submission Form:
- While this form will save your progress, we recommend preparing your responses in a separate document to save your text in case of disruption.
- Have your bio, statement, and artwork media files ready for upload before you begin.
