Hyundai Artlab has launched an open call for its 2026 Artlab Editorial Fellowship, inviting applications from art writers at any career stage, from anywhere in the world. Two selected Fellows will each receive $10,000 to produce three commissioned essays for Artlab Editorial over the course of 2026.
Established in 2022, Artlab Editorial is an initiative of Hyundai Artlab dedicated to publishing interviews, reviews, essays and profiles on contemporary artists. The Fellowship supports writers whose work demonstrates what the organisers describe as “critical empathy,” balancing care and critique, intellectual precision and imaginative insight.
The 2026 Fellowship is designed to foster sustained contemporary art writing while cultivating dialogue between writers, artists and readers. Selected Fellows will commit to writing three web-based articles of approximately 800 words each, published every other month between May and December 2026.
Each article will be developed over eight weeks. Fellows will receive regular one-on-one mentorship and editorial guidance, working closely with Artlab Editorial’s team to refine structure, argument and voice.
The programme emphasises nuanced engagement with contemporary cultural contexts. Applicants are encouraged to attend to diverse and sometimes contradictory human experiences, approaching art criticism as a space where interpersonal understanding and conceptual rigour coexist.
For the 2026 edition, Fellows will be paired with one of two Fellowship Advisors: Mira Dayal or Gary Zhexi Zhang.
Mira Dayal is a New York-based artist, writer and editor, currently Senior Editor at Triple Canopy. Her previous roles include Ideas Editor at Art in America and Associate Editor at Artforum. She is co-editor of Track Changes: A Handbook for Art Criticism and teaches at Barnard College and the School of Visual Arts.
Gary Zhexi Zhang is a London-based artist and writer whose practice explores the intersections of cosmology, technology, and economy. He teaches at the Royal College of Art and has written extensively for international publications, including Frieze and ArtReview. His recent work examines systemic technological and cultural transformations.
Fellows will also work with Shannon Lee, Editor of Artlab Editorial, for additional guidance and editorial oversight throughout the programme.
The Fellowship is open to art writers worldwide, regardless of career stage. Applicants must submit their materials by 9 March 2026 at 11:59 pm EST.
Full eligibility requirements and frequently asked questions are available via Hyundai Artlab’s website. Selected Fellows will begin their writing commitments in May 2026.
Since its inception, the Artlab Editorial Fellowship has supported writers engaging critically with contemporary art across geographies. Past Fellows have examined themes ranging from diasporic identity and technological speculation to institutional infrastructures and Indigenous futurisms, contributing to an expanding archive of global art criticism.
