Art Show Goal and Basic Rules

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

The Art Show is an open platform for the benefit of furry art. However, it is also a major event at Eurofurence allowing the convention's guests to view furry artwork in its original form. Please keep in mind that space in the Art Show 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 guidelines for participation on this page, plus there are some general rules and process information on the signup page. While these will give you an understanding of what is expected, the Art Show managers have the final word in all affairs of the show.

Some of these rules are also necessitated by law, so there is no leeway in interpreting them.

Technical and Display Requirements

The following requirements cover technical aspects of the artwork and the manner of display.

• The art must exist. The Eurofurence Art Show can only display and sell what has actually been physically produced. For example, YCH offers, vouchers, or promises of additional items (like "I will create fursuit gloves in addition to the fursuit head that you are buying") do not comprise existing items, and cannot be offered in the Art Show. Photos of your art are not sufficient (e.g. a photo of a fursuit to sell that fursuit), the exhibit must be actually present.
• 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: i.e. washed-out low-resolution copies of artifact-riddled jpg images are not fit for display.
• The art must be prepared for display before getting it to the Art Show at your own cost. Eurofurence provides panels and hooks for hanging the art as well as tables for pieces that cannot be hung, 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 a small fee, 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.
• 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.)
• Any medium is acceptable (unless it's perishable, dangerous, or widely 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 three-dimensional art you have to request a table instead of (or in addition to) a panel!
• The exhibit must not afflict the exhibition space: It must not drip oils on the table, ooze noxious fumes, or rub off colors. It must also not make annoying or permanent noise.
• An art piece shown at the same show should not duplicate the motif of another piece, e.g. it is not desirable to have two prints of the same image in the same year (even if the pieces in question differ in size and framing) unless the duplication is part of the artistic statement. If you want to offer the same image multiple times, please get a Dealers' Den space.
• The exhibit must not be interactive. As a general rule, visitors of the Art Show are not allowed to touch the exhibits; interactive displays (even if limited to pressing a button) are undermining that rule and give the visitors the impression that it's okay to "look with your fingers". If your exhibit requires interactivity of that sort, please get a Dealers' Den space.
• If the exhibit is powered, it must use batteries; power sockets of any kind are not available. You are responsible for changing or charging the batteries when necessary; the Art Show crew will not do that for you. Generally we discourage powered displays for safety reasons. If you want to display "active" art, please contact us beforehand.
• 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 concerns, or the simple possibility that it topples over and damages other art.
• 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.
• 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 including paints. (It should be obvious that it is not allowed to write or paint on the panels.)
• 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 it will help us identify your art e.g. in case a bidsheet gets damaged, displaced or lost.

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

Contents / Prohibited Topics

These are the content-related requirements for artwork on display.

• The general topic is "furry". That makes some kind of animal connection mandatory. Art that features just humans does not count as furry (even if you count the fact that humans are animals too). Wildlife/animal art is permitted but actual anthropomorphic art will take precedence. Centaurs or other mixtures of fully human and fully animal elements are allowed too.
• Art in any form that promotes or encourages discrimination, harassment, or violence based on race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, religion, or nationality is strictly prohibited.
• Due to German law, absolutely no Nazi symbols are allowed. That means no swastika, no SS runes, no Third Reich flags. This holds true even in other contexts: a swastika as an Indian symbol of luck still counts as a forbidden symbol.
  Any exhibit referencing themes or symbols (i.e. dogwhistling or intentional obfuscation) of the Third Reich even when not directly prohibited by law is still frowned upon by the convention and will likely see the exhibit being rejected.
  This also applies to any other symbols of forbidden organizations according to �86 and �86a of the German Penal Code (StGB) or symbols relating to groups associated with the "alt furry" movement.
• No excessive violence and cruelty (even in nonsexual context). Violence in general is allowed on a reasonable level, including blood, gore, killing, or hunting (see the age rating section below). If you are in doubt about that rule, show the picture to the Art Show managers first.
• 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).
• No underage characters in sexual situations / pedophilia / "cub porn". We are aware that this is a difficult rule since the actual age of drawn characters can be difficult to assess, especially with furry characters of different species or cartoony, "childlike" designs. Appearances count; hypothetical backstories are irrelevant for the age assessment.
• No zoophilia / sodomy / bestiality involving humans or largely human-like characters (e.g. anime catgirls, elves, or centaurs) with plain animals or largely non-morphic furries (four-legged, feral) is allowed. Other (non-human) species-transcending sexual activity is generally allowed (including feral-only or furries with ferals).
• 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.

IP and Ownership Rights

These rules govern the requirements for artwork in relation to the intellectual property of the motif in question.

• 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 your art is deemed to cross those boundaries.
  Note that a style cannot be copyrighted, only the character itself, so your own characters in a signature style are still allowed.
• 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 before taking commissions you wish to use in this way, so no surprises pop up in the handling of this type of art.
• 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 thousands of 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.
• No AI generated images. AI generation is a controversial topic and widely thought to infringe the rights of artists whose imagery has been used to train the algorithm.
  The Eurofurence Art Show is aware that many tools in image editing programs nowadays are based on AI support and those tools are of course still permitted as long as the overall result ultimately shows your own skill set.
  It is obvious that it is not always possible to recognize AI art as such, so we would count on the honesty of artists to not present auto-generated stuff.

Age Rating in the Art Show

Regardless of rules, the Art Show managers have the final say in what is allowed and what is 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 individual pieces of art.

Read on:

Artist Signup | Artist Guide