OURS — Artist Brief | Foundation for Future Aesthetics

OURS gathers artists whose work imagines what the future could actually be — not as warning or prediction, but as proposal. We’re looking for pieces that take seriously the idea that the world we live in is one we make.

OURS is a curated exhibition. We approach a small number of artists each year whose practice resonates with the themes of the show — artists who treat art-making as cultural infrastructure for what’s next, not decoration around it. If you’re reading this, we’d like your work in the room.

The exhibition serves as a flagship moment for the Foundation for Future Aesthetics. The Foundation exists because many of today’s visions of the future are bleak, impersonal, and ultimately inhuman. We think art has always had the power to support and elevate scientific discovery and technological progress, and we want to put that power to work — on behalf of artists, and on behalf of the futures worth building.

How we work with artists

FFA offers three deal structures. We’ll help you find the one that fits your practice and your situation. All terms are negotiable. The goal is to make this work for you, not to fit you to a template.

Donation Most Flexible

Donate an existing piece, or one made specifically for the show. If the piece sells, you receive 70% of the sale price; FFA retains 30% to support event costs and contribute to FFA’s endowment for future artist grants. If the piece doesn’t sell at the event, FFA will broker sales for a further 3 months. After that window, you can take the piece back (FFA covers return shipping), donate it permanently to FFA, or offer FFA a discounted purchase price.

Commission Work Made for OURS

FFA or a sponsor commissions a new piece from you for the exhibition. You receive a full commission upfront — the amount agreed in conversation, based on the scope and ambition of the work. FFA retains ownership of the piece; you receive no further share of any future sale. A clean transaction, paid in full.

Hybrid For Working Artists

FFA covers your materials and/or pays a partial commission upfront, so you’re not subsidizing the work. If the piece sells at the event, you and FFA split the proceeds 50/50. If it doesn’t sell, the same three options apply as in the donation structure. The exact balance between upfront pay and sale share is negotiated piece by piece.

Across all three structures, FFA covers shipping, insurance, and installation. All terms are negotiable.

What FFA provides

Across all three deal structures, every participating artist receives:

Shipping of the piece to and from the venue, fully covered by FFA.
Insurance of the piece during transit and the event.
Installation and de-installation handled or paid for by FFA.
Professional documentation — photography of the piece in the exhibition, and video coverage of the event including the work. Artists receive copies of all documentation of their piece.
Wall label, printed program, and event page listing — artist credit on the piece, in the printed program (with bio and headshot), and on the permanent OURS event page on the FFA site.
Artist statement on the wall label — 50 to 100 words from you about the piece, in your voice.
Personal invitation for you and a guest to attend the event in NYC. Attendance is strongly encouraged but never required.
Press kit inclusion — you’re named in any press coverage of the event.

What FFA asks of you

The lift on your end is meant to be light:

The piece delivered to the venue by an agreed window (approximately one week before the event).
A 50–100 word artist statement about the piece, for the wall label and program.
A bio and headshot for the program and event page.
Sale prices set in advance: a pre-event price (available to sponsors first) and an event price, agreed with FFA’s curatorial team. Sponsors who have committed before the event have first right to purchase at the pre-event price.
Availability for brief documentation — willingness to be photographed or filmed briefly at the event for the post-event video, if you attend.
For commissioned and hybrid pieces only: occasional check-ins during the production process. No fixed deliverable schedule unless you’d like one.

Notably not required: attendance, social media promotion, exclusivity, or future works for FFA.

How sales work

All pieces are for sale at the event, with the following mechanics:

You set the prices (in conversation with FFA’s read of the room). A pre-event price for sponsors with first-right-of-purchase, and an event price for the general room. Typically the event price is a 10–20% markup on the pre-event price; we’ll discuss what makes sense.
FFA facilitates the sale — payment, paperwork, and buyer relationship. You don’t have to handle the transaction yourself.
Sponsor first-right of purchase applies to pieces that have been tied to a sponsor before the event. After that, first serious buyer at the event price wins. No silent auction.
Post-event sales window of 3 months. If a piece doesn’t sell at the event, FFA continues to broker sales under the same split during that period.