WRG Digital Call-Out
WRG
DIGITAL
CALL-OUT
APPLICATIONS
are currently closed
Next round opens at the start of February 2026 WRG Digital
Archive
Discover all past WRG Digital Call-Out winners in our Digital Archive.
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August 2022
Glitch
Theme:Glitch
Between Intention and Accident
Exploring “Glitch” as a contemporary art phenomenon that celebrates the beauty of digital decay and systematic failure. Drawing inspiration from Chinese new media artists who interrogate the intersection of technology and identity, technical malfunctions transform into aesthetic expressions through digital artifacts, pixelation, datamoshing, or RGB channel separation. Broken code becomes visual poetry, suggesting that our most compelling art often emerges from the spaces between intention and accident, control and chaos, while reflecting the unique Chinese perspective on the collision of digital culture with traditional aesthetics.
Commisioned artist: -
November 2024
XSWL
Theme:XSWL
It’s all fun and games…until someone loses an eye.
China’s digital age is a vibrant playground where memes, virtual WeChat stickers[1], puns, and jokes are used to bypass censorship and address politically sensitive topics. To keep up in this rapid-fire environment, phrases are often condensed into acronyms. The Chinese internet slang XSWL, short for “xiào sǐ wǒle” (笑死我了), means “laughing to death.” It echoes the English “LOL” but with a twist; when viewed more literally, it suggests that light-hearted fun might mask darker games at play.
Commisioned artist: Spring in Alaska
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June 2025
Tender Comrade
Theme:Tender Comrade
A sprawling ecosystem of relationships, networks, and alliances.
Chinese history wasn’t always straight. While queerness may seem like a foreign import, its roots in China date back to ancient times. Bisexuality was the norm among emperors—Emperor Ai of the Han dynasty, for instance, openly took a ‘male favourite’. This was part of a broader history of same-sex relationships, non-normative sexualities and transgender identities that have largely been forgotten. Queer pasts are actively erased so that queer futures may cease to exist.
Commisioned artist: Studio Spring In Alaska
