Call for Art Submissions — Ponmo is a Bird That Has No Place in a Cultured Culinary SKY: An Art × Literature Exhibition

Noisy Streetss invites emerging and upcoming visual artists and illustrators to respond to Ponmo is a Bird That Has No Place in a Cultured Culinary Sky art x literature submission.

Ponmo is a Bird is an anthology of stories that explores love, and loving in Detty December. We’re commissioning paintings and digital illustrations that interpret, reimagine or respond to any story in the anthology. Selected works will be shown at a group exhibition, featured for sale, and included in an auction during the event. A Noisy Book Club book club meet-up will be held during the exhibition weekend to invite the broader literary community. 

This is an opportunity for emerging artists to exhibit their work and an opportunity to intersect the art world to literature.

Who we’re looking for:
Emerging and beginner local and African artists and illustrators (painters, mixed media, digital prints). Works must be original and explicitly inspired by or connected to a story in Ponmo is a Bird. Both framed physical works and high-quality paintings/digital prints are welcome.

Ready to submit? Read the guidelines first, then click on the submission form here.

What to submit:

• 2 images of your artwork (JPG/PNG, 10MB max each) with titles.
• Artist bio (max 150 words) + artist statement (150–300 words) explaining which story inspired the piece and why.
• Exact dimensions (cm), medium, year created, and proposed sale price in NGN (must be between NGN 25,000 and 250,000).

Selection and number of artists:
We will select 10–12 artists depending on their works. We can accept up to 2 pieces from one artist. Selection is made by the Noisy Streetss curatorial team based on creativity, relevance to the anthology, technical quality, and suitability for exhibition. Applications are reviewed weekly (rolling) — apply early for priority review.

Exhibition tenure & program:

• Exhibition run: 10 days with an opening reception on day 1.
• Book club meet-up: The Noisy Book Club will host a public discussion during the exhibition (date/time TBC) to encourage attendance from the literary world.
• Auction: Selected works may be offered in a live and online auction during the exhibition weekend. Auction and sale rules below.

Pricing & sales:
Artists propose sale prices in NGN. Compulsory price bracket: ₦25,000.00 – ₦250,000.00.NGN 

Important dates & how to apply:

• Rolling submissions: applications reviewed weekly. The deadline to submit is February 28, 2026.
• Submit your piece here.