Writers Open Call

The next phase of The Message Is in the Pattern invites writers from across disciplines and geographies to respond to a series of newly commissioned artworks. 

This international open call will support four writers to produce original written texts inspired by, reflecting on, or in dialogue with the commissioned works. Writers may choose to focus on a single artwork or consider multiple works in relation to one another. 

Rather than conventional criticism alone, this open call encourages expanded approaches to writing. We welcome proposals across different forms, including but not limited to: essays, personal reflections, speculative writing, poetry, hybrid texts, letters, manifestos, and other experimental approaches. 

The commissioned texts will form part of a digital publication launching as the next chapter of the project, extending conversations initiated through the commissions and creating new critical and creative entry points into the works. 

• 4 writers selected 

• Fee: £600 per writer 
• Final text length: 500-1000 words 

Applicants are welcome to propose writing in response to: 

• one specific commissioned work, or 

• multiple works in relation to one another. 

The artworks commissioned for the programme are:

• Spun Yarn by Anya Paintsil 
• Unhatanhat no more, no longer Upashitapashi उन्हातान्हात नो मॉर, नो लॉगर उपाशीतापाशी by Rajyashri Goody
• How to Create a Tradition – Chapter 1: the party is everywhere by Rose Afefé 

Applicants should indicate which artwork(s) they wish to engage with. 

While writers are not required to respond to all works, this information will be considered during selection to ensure a balanced final publication that reflects the breadth of the commissions. 

Timeline 

Open call launches: 5 June 2026
Deadline for applications: 29 June 2026, 10:00 BST
Selection period: 7-17 July 2026
Optional interviews (if required): 21-22 July 2026
Selected writers announced: 27 July 2026
First drafts due: 21 August 2026 

Eligibility 

This open call is international. 

Writers at different stages of practice are welcome to apply, including emerging and established writers, critics, poets, artists-writers, researchers, and interdisciplinary practitioners. 

How to apply 

Applicants must submit via Google Form: 

• A proposal (max. 150 words) 

• A writing sample excerpt (max. 150 words) 

• Short bio 

• Relevant links (website, portfolio, social media, published texts, etc.) 

Please note: 

• Applicants may submit one proposal only 

• Late submissions will not be considered 

APPLY HERE

Selection Criteria 

Applications will be assessed based on: 

Essential criteria 

• Strong engagement with the themes, ideas, or formal concerns of the commissioned works 

• Clear and compelling proposal 

• Distinctive writing voice 

• Ability to deliver work within the timeline

Desirable criteria 

• Interest in experimental or expanded writing formats 

• Critical, creative, or interdisciplinary approach 

• Contribution to the diversity of perspectives and formats within the final publication 

Selection will also consider overall balance across artworks, themes, and writing approaches. 

Applications will be reviewed by the core project team alongside invited external writers.  

Selection Committee

Apart from the iniva team, we have also invited two guest writers, Siddhartha Mitter and Dr. Margarita Rosa to be part of the selection committee. In addition to selecting the shortlisted applicants, they will each provide personalised feedback to the first ten shortlisted writers they choose –– offering valuable insights and guidance to emerging voices in the field.

Siddhartha Mitter

Siddhartha Mitter is a writer on art, art practices and their social and conceptual stakes, based in New York City and working locally and internationally. A culture journalist for over two decades, he is a frequent contributor to the New York Times and has written in many other publications within and beyond the art field, as well as institutional catalogues and edited volumes. He received an Andy Warhol Foundation Arts Writers Grant (2017), was the AICA-USA Distinguished Critic (2022), and was awarded a Rabkin Prize for arts writing (2024). Siddhartha is a member of the late Koyo Kouoh’s curatorial team for the 61st International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia, “In Minor Keys” (Biennale Arte 2026), and editor-in-chief of the exhibition catalogue, published in May 2026.   

Dr. Margarita Rosa

Margarita Lila Rosa is a historian and arts & culture critic specializing in Afro-Latin American and African American history and contemporary art. Dr. Rosa’s practice has been written about in Ebony, Refinery 29, Hyperallergic, and Teen Vogue, among others.  

She won the 2024 Letitia Woods Article of the Year Award from the Association of Black Women Historians, for her article in the Journal of African American History. Rosa was a 2024 recipient of the Studio Museum in Harlem Arts Leadership Praxis Fellowship. 

Dr. Rosa’s historical academic scholarship has also been published in the Caribbean Quarterly, the Journal of African American History, and Slavery & Abolition, among others. Her art criticism has been published in The Museum of Modern Art Magazine, the Brooklyn Rail, i-D, Hyperllergic, and more.  

Dr. Margarita Lila Rosa was born in the countryside of Tenares, Dominican Republic. Raised in Jersey City, New Jersey, Rosa received her Ph. D from Princeton University in Comparative Literature (Spanish, Arabic, Portuguese). From 2021-2023, Dr. Rosa was a Lecturer at Stanford University, where she taught courses on gender and rebellion in the Black Atlantic.  

Currently, she is based between New York and Santo Domingo.