ABOUT THE GALLERY
Produced by Artichoke and conceived in collaboration with Creative Director Martin Firrell, The Gallery is a new kind of cultural institution without walls that challenges traditional models of viewing art.
Each season we invite artists to respond to one of the most important topics or questions of our time, with the aim of generating meaningful debate, and starting a national conversation.
Season 4 of The Gallery will go live in May 2024, when the work of 10 selected artists will be exhibited in public spaces across the four nations of England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales.
Supported by the Out-of-Home* industry, The Gallery takes over thousands of billboards, digital screens and bus shelters traditionally reserved for advertising. To date, works exhibited as part of The Gallery have been viewed over 164 million times by people on the streets of the UK.
As part of an evolving and expanding archive, artworks selected for The Gallery are also permanently exhibited online at thegallery.org.uk.
*The term Out-of-Home refers to any visual advertising media found outside of the home, including on-street billboards, digital screens, bus-shelters and train stations.
THE OPEN CALL
We’re inviting artists aged 18 and over, from around the world, to apply to present a high-impact artwork for public space, as part of Artichoke’s major project - The Gallery.
THEME
The theme for Season 4 of The Gallery is ‘A REAL WOMAN’.
Curatorial statement: The Gallery Season 4 invites artists to make work in response to the theme: A REAL WOMAN.
What does it really mean to be a woman? How do women see themselves - in relation to each other and to the rest of the world?
How does a woman decide the kind of woman she is? Who's looking? Who's judging? What insight might the experience of transgender women provide?
We’re keen to hear from any artist who identifies in any way, if they feel they have artistic insight to share.
WHAT YOU GET
Artists will be supported to develop and adapt their work for presentation on advertising billboards, bus shelters and similar. They will also receive ongoing mentoring and advice during the process.
All artists receive:
- A fee of £2,000
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Support from Creative Director Martin Firrell
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Support from our exhibition Curator Bakul Patki
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An international platform to exhibit work including through the dedicated website at thegallery.org.uk
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The services of a designer to format the artwork for digital (and paper and paste sites if relevant)
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Costs of production, mounting and leasing of the advertising spaces
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Selected photographic documentation of the artwork displayed on advertising spaces
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Scheduled online meet-ups with fellow contributing artists and team
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Participation in online discussion regarding making art for the public realm
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Invitation to exhibition launch in May 2024. If based in the UK, reasonable travel and one night’s accommodation will be included. For artists based outside of the UK, a travel stipend of £200 towards any/all travel expenses, including visa fees and one night’s accommodation is included.
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For those based outside the UK, Artichoke will explore additional means of support towards travel costs where possible (e.g. from Embassies, Trusts and Foundations).
ELIGIBILITY
The call is open to all practitioners aged 18+, working at any level, including students. Artists can be based anywhere in the world. This initiative exists to champion ground-breaking artworks by artists at any stage of their practice.
Collaborative applications as a group or collective are eligible (fee remains at £2,000).
PREPARING AND UPLOADING YOUR ARTWORK ENTRY
Applications can be completed via the online: https://thegallery.org.uk/season-4-open-call/
There is no registration fee to apply.
The deadline for artwork entries is Sunday 4 February 2024