answer as question - juried exhibition

If inquiry is essential to an artistic practice, then material is evidence and artists are investigators. The medium is an apparatus for interrogation, and through the search artists illuminate the unseen and seek answers. Yet oftentimes, the conclusions we draw incite even more questions, equally expanding our sense of known and unknown.

Answer As Question is Columbia City Gallery’s 17th Annual Juried Exhibit. The exhibit invites artists of all mediums to lean into investigation as a form of artistic expression. It is inspired by and in response to Ai, Rebel: The Art and Activism of Ai Weiwei, on view at SAM from March 12 – Sept. 7, 2025. Ai, Rebel marks Ai Weiwei’s first US retrospective in over a decade and the largest exhibition of his work ever held in the country. In this partnership with SAM, Columbia City Gallery is honored to have José Carlos Diaz, SAM’s Susan Brotman Deputy Director for Art, jurying and curating this exhibit.

Columbia City Gallery and SAM are inspired by Ai Weiwei’s relentless pursuit of questioning authority through his work, driving him to be the prominent iconoclast he is today. After a catastrophic 8.0-magnitude earthquake struck Sichuan in 2008, the Chinese government sought to hide the scale of the disaster, notably by holding back the names of students who had perished. This secrecy emphasized the state’s unwillingness to take accountability, as the substandard construction of government-subsidized schools was a major driver of student deaths. In response to the government’s lack of transparency, Ai mobilized a Citizen’s Investigation to uncover more details on the student casualties. It was a simple inquiry: Who were these students that died? That question spurred a whole movement that brought the community together to remember the departed and demand change. It also led to several iconic works by Ai such as Snake Ceiling and Sichuan Earthquake Names Project, demonstrating to the world the heartbreaking reality of the young lives lost.

Channeling this same kind of investigative spirit, all artists working in 2D and/or 3D media are encouraged to submit artwork completed within the past three years that reflects the theme: Answer As Question. We ask artists to practice rigorous examination, emphasizing work rooted in research, asking questions, and uncovering hidden perspectives through investigation.

Important Dates:

• The exhibit will run from July 23 - August 31, 2025.
• Accepted artwork must be delivered by Monday, July 21, 2025, 11am PT.
• Artists’ Reception and Awards Ceremony will be held on Saturday, July 26, 2025, from 5-7pm PT.
• All unsold artwork must be picked up between August 31 after closing-September 2, 2025.