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Art Show – Artist Rules

Art Show Goal and Basic Rules

Eurofurence's Art Show traditionally supports furry artists by giving them a place to display their original works to the public, and possibly sell art.

The Art Show is not a commercial event for the convention, or a means for Eurofurence to make money. It is an open platform for the benefit of furry art. However it is also a major event at Eurofurence for the convention's guests to view furry artwork in its original form. Please keep in mind that the Art Show space is limited.

Eurofurence respects artistic freedom and expression. Since the show is a very visible and representative part of the convention (and also subjected to strict German laws), we need to put a few limits on the topics that can be displayed.

You may find the complete guidelines for participation on this page. These should not be considered enforceable laws, though. The Art Show managers have the final word in all affairs of the show. While the managers try to establish and maintain a good working relationship with all artists, time constraints at the convention will not allow lengthy discussions. Play nice and in an adult manner, and they will do the same.


Costs and Charges

Good news: The EF Art Show is for free. Eurofurence offers the Art Show as a complimentary service to artists. We do not charge a fee for panels or a percentage of the sales. The Art Show is financed by Eurofurence. If you want to support it – feel free to become a sponsor!
Eurofurence never acts as the owner of the artwork. It just handles the art for you, and provides the necessary space, panels, and security personnel. That means:

  1. There is no insurance involved. Of course there is security present to guard the Art Show. There is a computer system to keep track of exhibits. And of course the managers will help you identifying the perpetrator in any case of damaged artwork. However, the Art Show cannot be held accountable for matters of actual theft, vandalism, or simple accidents. It is up to you to file claims against identified or unidentified offenders.
  2. You have to arrange getting your art to the show by yourself. The Art Show does not allow mail-in art any more due to problems with customs and the risk of artwork getting lost or damaged. Any cost arising from your transportation or import needs is not covered and has to be paid by yourself.
  3. Eurofurence just arranges sales between artists and buyers. Any financial obligations resulting from those sales (like taxes) have to be managed and fulfilled by you. You do not enter a sales contract with Eurofurence or the Eurofurence Art Show, but with the buyer.
  4. The art must be prepared for display before getting it to the Art Show at your own cost. Eurofurence always provides panels and hooks for hanging the art, but no further materials. The Art Show may supply some standard frames and materials in emergency cases (e.g. if your frame breaks during transport) for cost compensation, but these are not guaranteed to be available. In addition, if your art needs special arrangements for hanging, please clear the requirements with the managers beforehand.

Contents / Prohibited Topics

There are some requirements regarding artwork for display, both technical and content related. Since some of these rules are enforced by law, it is necessary to know them.

  1. The general topic is "furry". That makes some kind of animal connection mandatory. Art that features just humans is not furry (even if you count the fact that humans are animals too). Wildlife/animal art is permitted. Centaurs are allowed too.
  2. Any medium is acceptable (unless it's perishable, dangerous, or widley regarded unsuitable for presentation by the patrons, i.e. real fur): watercolor, oils, pastels, pencils, clay sculptures, glass etchings, plush characters, whatever. If it's large or requires special support/hanging, check with the managers first whether it is physically possible to display. For 3-dimensional art you have to request a table instead of (or in addition to) a panel!
  3. If you are using photography as your medium, the photo in itself must have artistic quality. We will not display low-resolution snapshots from a Sunday at the zoo. Check with the managers whether your photography is displayable. Like all other art, photography must be framed. Display of photos is limited to one panel unless we can provide unclaimed panels or agree to special arrangements.
  4. If you use 2D/3D computer graphics (still rendering / animation), the rendering (including modeling) must have artistic quality. We will not display slightly modified Poser models or Second Life screenshots. Like all other art, computer graphics must be framed.
  5. We distinguish between original art, hand-colored prints, limited prints, and unlimited prints. We prefer original artwork for display. Photography, 3D computer graphics and digital artwork count as (limited) prints, since there is no physical original. We discourage the display of unlimited prints (those should be sold at the Dealers' Den).
    For all prints a minimum printing quality is required. Washed-out low-resolution copies of artifact-riddled jpg images are not fit for display.
  6. Due to German law, absolutely no Nazi symbols are allowed. That means no swastika, no SS runes, no Third Reich flags.
  7. No excessive violence and cruelty (even in nonsexual context). Violence in general is allowed on a reasonable level, including blood, gore, killing, or hunting. If you are in doubt about that rule, show the picture to the Art Show managers first.
  8. No depictions of rape or other non-consensual violence in combination with sexual content. Bondage or sub/dom depictions are allowed. Consensual sex of any kind, regardless of species and gender, is allowed (unless covered by the rules below).
  9. No pedophilia / "cub porn". We are aware that this is a difficult rule since the actual age of drawn characters is hard to guess, especially with furry characters of different species or cartoony, "childlike" designs. Appearances count; characters with a very childlike appearance, underdeveloped genitals, and/or baby face may be considered "children" in the context of this rule.
  10. No "youth porn". What is that? German lawmakers in their infinite wisdom saw fit to severely limit the permissible erotica (and everything that may be seen as erotica, even if it isn't) if there is a vague chance that it may remind narrow-minded elderly judges of teenaged persons. Any erotica and any "enticing" depiction (including mere posing, even clothed) of characters that may perhaps not be of legal age is prohibited.
    For now, we need to exclude anything erotic that may trigger this law. That means: No size games, even if justified by species, because the smaller partner may be perceived as underaged. No direct hints at age, even if it is just seventeen candles on a birthday cake. No indirect hints at age, for example by juxtaposing younger and older characters. Or in short, nothing that may lead anybody to the conclusion that the character in question may not be of legal age if it were real.
    You may want to consult the Art Show managers before showing anything that may fall under this rule.
  11. No zoophilia / sodomy / bestiality involving humans or largely human-like characters (e.g. anime catgirls, elves, or centaurs) with animals or largely non-morphic furries (four-legged, feral) is allowed. Other species-transcending sexual activity is generally allowed (including furries with ferals).
  12. No toilet activities. That includes scat, watersports, diapers in use, vomit, or any related fetish work, which is not suitable for a wide and varied public.
  13. No use of copyrighted/trademarked characters. Large companies are protective of their franchises and generally do not like their characters being sold by someone else. While the usage of copyrighted characters is theoretically allowed in the context of parodies or derivative artistic work, we do not want you to get into possible legal trouble if some lawyer decides that your art crosses those boundaries.
    Note that a style cannot be copyrighted, only the character itself, so your own characters in a signature style are still allowed.
  14. We like artists to display their own characters and creations. If you use other people's characters, you should ask for the approval of the creator. If you e.g. do a commission of a personal character for someone, and want to sell the original painting (to someone else), you should keep in mind the sensibilities of your customer.
    We recommend that you clarify your handling of this kind of situation in your terms of service, in the first place, so no surprises pop up in the handling of this type of art.
  15. No traces or "heavily referenced" images. The art should be your own work, done with confidence and skill. Of course we realize that tracing and referencing has its place in the learning process, but if you are not yet able to create works on your own, you should reconsider participating in an art show. With a thousand patrons, active on all kinds of forums and galleries, the trace will most likely be discovered, and that is a very embarrassing thing.
    Trying to pass and resell such traced work as your own is also widely regarded offensive behaviour.

Regardless of rules, the Art Show managers have the final say in what is allowed and what's not. Note that in spite of all those rules, the Eurofurence Art Show allows a lot of explicit, adult, or even fetish artwork. To avoid conflicts about objectionable and offensive artwork, the managers reserve the right to refuse displaying single pieces of art.


Age Rating in the Art Show

Since some guests of Eurofurence may not want to look at the more adult part of the show, and some "clean" artists may not feel comfortable to be displayed next to explicit artwork, the show will be divided into two separate sections – a General/PG Section for clean and slightly erotic art, and a Mature/Adult Section for adult artwork. That way, any visitor can decide by him/herself where to go, and artists don't need to worry about what will be displayed on the panels next to his.

To prepare the setup, an artist needs to include with his/her application mail the number of panels or tables per section, and the maximum age rating in each section.

There are four ratings available all in all:

Artwork appropriate for the General Section (GS):

  • Nice / G-rated: no nudity or violence, clean art only, kid-safe.
  • Nude / PG-rated: Tasteful nudity, moderate or cartoony violence. No emphasis on sexuality or highlighted/exaggerated endowment. No hard violence.

Artwork appropriate for the Mature Section (MS):

  • Naughty / R-rated: Lewd nudity (male erection, sexual posing), strong suggestions of violence or sex (impending rape, suggested copulation, insinuated bloody violence), direct sexual activity, violence, gore, death/dying, foul language.
  • Nasty / X-rated: Hardcore and fetish work, gross activities, just-barely-permittable violence.

The two Art Show Sections (GS/MS) will be separated physically. The size of the sections will depend on the number of applications.


Display Rules

The Eurofurence Art Show has a number of technical requirements and rules governing the displays.

  1. Only the panels, tables, etc., that are provided by Eurofurence are allowed as display space. If you need some kind of special stand, contact us beforehand whether this is possible. It might not be feasible to set up e.g. a fursuit rack because of space issues, security issues, or the simple possibility that it topples over and damages some art.
  2. The display space is meant for art and bidsheets only. Decoration of the panels and tables is restricted to certain unobtrusive objects. See the Artist Guide for details.
  3. You must not use any sticky tape beyond what we supply, nor any other tool or sticky stuff on the panel. The panel surfaces are pretty delicate, and will be damaged by unauthorized materials. (It should be obvious that it is not allowed to write or paint on the panels.)
  4. Electric appliances beyond simple batteries are not allowed on the panels. We do not provide electricity / cables to the panels. It might be possible to power art objects on tables, if the device fulfills electric regulations. Generally we discourage powered displays for safety reasons. If you want to display "active" art, please contact us beforehand.
  5. Flat art (images, drawings, paintings) for the Art Show must be framed, matted, or mounted by the artist. A piece of cardboard is not a mat, a clear plastic binder is not a frame. Please, show your artwork some respect by giving it the proper framing treatment. (Art that is already display-ready, like alubonds or canvas prints, do not require an additional frame of course.)
  6. For identification purposes, the art should bear a (readable) sticker on the reverse side stating the artist's or agent's name and the name of the piece (Latin alphabet preferred). This is not enforced, however we believe it's a good idea to do so just in case.

For a full discussion on the technical details, please consult the Artist Guide section.

Read on:

Artist Sign-Up | Artist Guide