The Arts Chairs of ALIFE 2026 invite submissions of Artificial Life related artworks for exhibition at the International Conference on Artificial Life, 17–21 August 2026, in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. The Arts Chairs currently include Anna Dumitriu and Alex May, with additional Arts Chairs to be announced. A jury of artists and scientists will select works engaging with the theme “Living and Lifelike Complex Adaptive Systems”.
Space is limited
“ArchaeaBot: A Post Singularity and Post Climate Change Life-form” by Anna Dumitriu and Alex May. Photo credit Vanessa Graf/Ars Electronica.
Call for Art Submissions: ALIFE 2026
The Arts Chairs of the International Conference on Artificial Life 2026 invite submissions of artworks for exhibition at ALIFE 2026. The Arts Chairs currently include Anna Dumitriu and Alex May, with additional Arts Chairs to be announced.
ALIFE 2026 will bring together artists, scientists, engineers, theorists, designers, technologists, policymakers, philanthropic organizations, government representatives, academics, students, and members of a diverse multicultural public audience to explore life and lifelike systems across biological, computational, robotic, chemical, ecological, social, and artistic media.
The conference theme, “Living and Lifelike Complex Adaptive Systems”, invites artistic engagement with life-as-it-is, life-as-it-could-be, and the complex adaptive processes through which living and lifelike systems emerge, evolve, interact, and transform.
Land recognition and conference values
ALIFE 2026 takes place in Waterloo, Ontario, on lands connected with the University of Waterloo and Wilfred Laurier University’s main campuses, which are situated on the Haldimand Tract and within the traditional territory of the Neutral, Anishinaabeg, and Haudenosaunee peoples. In this context, we welcome artistic work that engages respectfully with Indigenous, non-colonial, ecological, relational, and planetary ways of knowing, and with forms of stewardship that attend to interdependence among living systems, technological systems, environments, and communities.
Scope of the call
We welcome proposals for Artificial Life related artworks in the broadest sense, including but not limited to:
- bioart, living systems, synthetic biology, wetware, and microbial or cellular processes;
- generative, evolutionary, algorithmic, and computational art;
- robotics, embodied systems, autonomous agents, and human–machine interaction;
- artificial chemistries, self-organization, emergence, morphogenesis, and adaptive systems;
- ecological, environmental, planetary, and more-than-human perspectives;
- interactive, participatory, installation, performance, sound, video, digital, online, and hybrid works;
- speculative, critical, historical, philosophical, and decolonial approaches to Artificial Life.
Submissions may propose existing works or new works suitable for presentation during the conference. We particularly encourage works that connect artistic practice with Artificial Life research, experimentation, public engagement, critical reflection, and wider social or ecological concerns.
Selection process
Submissions will be reviewed by a jury of artists and scientists, in consultation with the Arts Chairs and conference organizers.
Selection will consider:
- relevance to Artificial Life and the ALIFE 2026 theme;
- artistic quality, originality, and conceptual strength;
- feasibility within the available venue, schedule, and technical constraints;
- clarity of installation, safety, staffing, and presentation requirements;
- potential to engage conference participants and wider audiences.
Exhibition space is limited, so not all strong submissions can necessarily be accommodated. The jury may also recommend alternative formats, such as digital, online, documentation-based, poster, screening, or short presentation formats, where appropriate.
Submission requirements
Please submit a single PDF proposal including:
- Artist name(s), affiliation(s), and contact details
- Title of the proposed work
- Short description of the work, suitable for publication, up to 150 words
- Full proposal, up to 750 words, explaining the work and its relevance to Artificial Life and the conference theme
- Technical and installation requirements, including space, power, internet, lighting, sound, display equipment, safety considerations, and staffing needs
- Images, video links, documentation, or portfolio links, as appropriate
- Indication of whether the work can be presented in person, online, or in a hybrid format
- Any special requirements, including biological materials, living organisms, custom equipment, transport, customs, health and safety, accessibility, or institutional approvals
Works involving biological materials, living organisms, hazardous materials, data from human participants, animals, environmental sampling, or other regulated components must comply with all applicable biosafety, ethics, customs, health, institutional, and venue requirements. The organizers may request additional information before confirming acceptance.
Key dates
Submission deadline: [Coming Soon]
Notification of acceptance: [Coming Soon]
Conference dates: 17–21 August 2026
How to submit
Please submit proposals via: [Coming Soon]
For questions about the art programme, please contact: [Coming Soon]
We look forward to receiving proposals that expand how Artificial Life can be imagined, created, experienced, questioned, and shared.