The Delegation of the European Union to Canada (EUD) and OCAD University invite emerging youth artists (ages 18–29) from Canada and the European Union (EU) to apply for an exciting opportunity to participate in the DemocracyXChange Summit (DXC), taking place April 16–18, 2026 in Toronto, Canada.
The DXC Summit is Canada’s flagship gathering for dialogue on democracy, civic imagination, and civic involvement. This year's Summit, themed Side By Side: Building an Economy that Serves Democracy, will focus on the role that people play in shaping democratic and economic systems, in cities and countries alike, underscoring the need to address global challenges through collaborative, creative, and action-oriented approaches.
Exhibition Theme: Utopia Rewired
Utopia Rewired invites emerging artists (ages 18–29) from across Canada and the European Union to imagine how creativity can help us re-envision not only democratic life but the economic systems that shape and sustain our collective future.
As DemocracyXChange 2026 explores building an economy that serves democracy, this exhibition invites artists to consider the economy as a cultural creation—something we can redesign, challenge, and collectively reimagine. We seek works that illuminate new forms of value, connection, and shared prosperity, challenging extractive systems by offering imaginative, relational, or regenerative alternatives.
Utopia Rewired asks:
What might a people-centred, regenerative economy look and feel like?
How could technology support—not hollow out—shared prosperity and public good?
What rituals, infrastructures, or social systems could nurture belonging, reciprocity, and mutual support?
How might artistic practice challenge dominant narratives of efficiency, individualism, and scarcity?
What does economic democracy look like when envisioned through creative practice?