Curator

Kirsten Bengtson

Kirsten Bengtson-Lykoudis (she/her/hers) serves as staff writer, archivist, and curator for NOT REAL ART. She enjoys rambling through NRA’s vast digital archive of contemporary artworks and getting to know the people behind them. After growing up in the Twin Cities, Kirsten darted between Florida, Russia, Sweden, New York, France, Italy, the Aegean Islands, and Washington, DC, before landing in Richmond, Virginia. A former New York gallery director, photographer, student of Russian literature, devout polyglot, and nonfiction writer, she is currently plotting her next trip to Greece.

Co-Organizer

Morgan Laurens

Morgan Laurens (she/her/hers) is NOT REAL ART’s editor in chief. Morgan is an arts writer from the Midwest who enjoys saying “excuse me” when no actual pardon is needed. She specializes in grant writing and narrative-based storytelling for mission-driven artists and arts organizations. With a background in printmaking, pop culture, and classic literature, Morgan believes a girl’s best friend is the pile of books on her bedside table.

Modern Love: Reflections on Intimacy and Eros

Modern Love Exhibition In keeping with the rites of spring, Modern Love focuses on intimacy, fertility, fetishes, and coupling while probing the varied facets of love and desire. From declarations of self-love and memories of painful rejections, to moments of intense fusion and fleeting romantic encounters, this virtual exhibition explores themes of longing and connection in all their complexity.

Love and desire are universal experiences that shape our lives, yet they remain endlessly complex and deeply personal. Modern Love presents diverse perspectives on intimacy and loss that challenge, celebrate, and complicate our understanding of connection.

Why Apply?

This exhibition invites you to share heartfelt explorations of intimacy and desire. Whether your work is vulnerable, celebratory, critical, reflective, rueful, or experimental, Modern Love offers a space for authentic expression and meaningful dialogue about what it means to connect, long to connect, or not connect. By applying, you will be added to our exclusive database of thousands of emerging artists from around the world, connecting you to future opportunities and collaborators.

Applicants will also be considered for:

A long-form interview with a professional arts writer, published on the NOT REAL ART platform.
An appearance as a guest on our podcast, sharing your story and creative process with a global audience.
An opportunity to have your work showcased in our First Friday Exhibitions series, reaching art lovers and industry professionals.

Eligibility

Open to artists worldwide creating work that explores themes of love, intimacy, desire, human connection, breakups, recovery, and loss. All mediums and styles welcome, except work entirely generated by AI.

Submission Guidelines

Submit up to four works
High-resolution JPEGs
Artist bio
Artist statement