Published by Les éditions Esse, Esse arts + opinions is a bilingual magazine focused mainly on contemporary art and multidisciplinary practices. Specializing in essays on issues in art today, the magazine publishes critical analyses that address art in relation to its context. Each issue contains a thematic section, portfolios of artworks, articles critiquing the international culture scene, and reviews of exhibitions, events, and publications. The esse.ca platform also offers articles on art in the news and an archive of previous issues of Esse.

Submissions are accepted three times a year: January 10, April 1, and September 1. Send your text to redaction@esse.ca. Please include a short biography (45 words), an abstract of the text, and postal and email addresses.

Applicants who wish to first submit a statement of intent (250-500 words) are invited to do so at least 2 to 3 months before the submissions deadline (see deadlines in each call for papers). We also welcome submissions (reviews, essays, analyses of contemporary art issues) not related to a particular theme. An acknowledgment of receipt will be sent within 7 days of the respective deadline. If you have not been notified, please contact us to ensure your text has been received.

The texts can be submitted for one of the following 3 sections:

Feature: essays between 1,500 and 2,000 words. The guideline regarding the theme is available online 4 to 6 months prior to the deadline.

Articles: essays, articles or interviews between 1,250 and 2,000 words.

Reviews: reviews of exhibitions, events or publications (maximum 500 words, without footnotes, or 1,000 words, with one or two footnotes maximum).

Editorial Policy

1. With the exception of the express consent of Les éditions Esse, the writer agrees to submit a previously unpublished, original text.

2. All articles are reviewed by the Editorial Board, which reserves the right to accept or refuse a submitted article. Selection criteria are based on the quality of the analyze and writing, the relevance of the text in the issue (with regard to the theme), and the relevance of the chosen artworks and artists. Selection of articles may take up to 6 weeks after submission by the writer. The Board’s decision is final. A refused text will not be re-evaluated.

3. With the exception of the express consent of the Board, the Board does not consider articles that may represent a potential conflict of interest between the writer and the content of the article (i.e., a text written by the curator of an exhibition).

4. The writers whose pieces are selected commit to format their text according to the typographic standards of Esse, following the guidelines sent to them with the publishing contract.

5. With the respect to the vision and style of the writer, the Board reserves the right to ask for corrections and modifications to be made to ensure overall clarity and coherence of an article.

6. Conditionally accepted articles will be up for discussion between the writer and the Board. If changes are requested by the Board, the writer will have 15 (fifteen) days to carry these out.

7. All costs of typographical correction of the author’s text shall be borne by Les éditions Esse except the author’s corrections, if applicable, which shall be borne by the author.