Call for Participation: SINTA (Beloved) — An Exhibit on BL, GL, and LGBTQ+ Comics in Japan and Southeast Asia

Call for Participation: SINTA (Beloved)
An Exhibit on BL, GL, and LGBTQ+ Comics in Japan and Southeast Asia

Exhibit Dates: 03–12 July 2026
Location: Ayala Malls the 30th, Pasig City
Organized by: Philippine International Comics Festival, The Japan Foundation, Manila, Komiket, and Blush Convention

Sinta, a Filipino word for “beloved,” explores the evolving contours of queer intimacy through the lens of regional sequential art. Fifty years since Boys’ Love (BL) first emerged from the pages of girls’ comics in Japan, the genre has traveled across borders, transforming a niche interest into a powerful comic genre that shapes how we envision love. This exhibit showcases the legacies of that journey, highlighting the cultural ties between the Philippines and Japan in the last 70 years. It explores how these Japanese queer narratives have inspired romances that flourish outside normative conventions, transcending the very borders where they began.

By bringing together creators from Japan and Southeast Asia, Sinta showcases the development of queer storytelling that is increasingly authentic to the fantasies and aspirations of its local creators.

We are looking for comics that explore these ‘beloved affections’ not only through the chemistry of the characters but through the intimate spaces where these stories are nurtured and the meticulous craft that brings queer romances to life on the page. Participants chosen for this exhibit may be included in a forthcoming PICOF anthology.

Submission Requirements

We invite artists from Southeast Asia to contribute to this cross-cultural exhibit on queer comics in the region. Please provide a link to a folder containing the following:

1. Artwork: 6–10 comics pages, including cover art, b/w or colored, that resonates with the exhibit theme
Size: A4 or A3
Specs: 300dpi, CMYK (with 100% Black for line art), JPEG or PNG format.
Content: No R-18 images.

Artists can submit old and new work, self-published or commercially published. If the submitted work has been previously published with a commercial publisher, the artist must obtain the right to exhibit the comic pages.

Submitted pages may be an excerpt of an existing comics, or a work-in-progress. If so, please submit a readable low-res watermarked PDF file of your finished comics or current work in-development.

2. Artist Profile: A 1–5 sentence bio-note.
3. Portrait: A photo or an illustrated self-portrait.
4. Description: (50-100 words) How does your comics reflect the theme of the exhibit?
5. Social Media: Your primary handle for promotion.

Logistics

Printing: Digital submissions should be forwarded to https://bit.ly/picofsinta
Production: Artworks will be professionally reproduced by PICOF for the exhibition and festival promotions.
Post-event materials: Participating artists are welcome to take their printed exhibit boards home after the event concludes.

Important Dates

Submission Deadline: 30 May 2026
Exhibit Run: July 3 – July 12, 2026

Join us in celebrating the ink, sweat, and heart required to draw a world where everyone has a “sinta” to call their own. We look forward to seeing your stories.