46 artists announced for The London Open 2022

The London Open 2022
Summer 2022
#TheLondonOpen2022

8 June 2021 – Whitechapel Gallery is delighted to announce that 46 artists have been selected for The London Open 2022, bringing together a vibrant and diverse array of contemporary art being made in the capital today. The selected artists work across London’s boroughs, drawing on the experience of living in a global city now.

An astounding 2,600 applications were made to the Gallery’s historical open-submission triennial exhibition, which has been running since 1932. Delayed to summer 2022 due to the pandemic, the exhibition is set to feature works made since 2018 in all media including painting, sculpture, print, photography, film, sound, digital media, performance and installation.

The artists selected for The London Open 2022 are:

The artists were selected by a panel of experts including collector Maria Bukhtoyarova, artist Shezad Dawood, curator and art historian Christine Eyene, gallerist Stephan Tanbin Sastrawidjaja, with Whitechapel Gallery curators Emily Butler, Inês Costa and Wells Fray-Smith.

Emily Butler, Mahera and Mohammad Abu Ghazaleh Curator, Whitechapel Gallery, said: “It has been a privilege to gain insight into London’s incredible pool of artistic talent. We are struck by how many artists’ work is inspired by recent events, how our bodies and minds have been affected by lockdown, how many are cathartically considering trauma and reflecting on notions of the everyday, the environment, political bias, and the personal and social legacies of colonialism. Throughout, art remains a guide to navigate uncertainty. We look forward to celebrating each of the 46 strong and unique practices and curating an impactful show that looks to the future whilst reflecting on the present moment.”

The London Open is a triennial exhibition open to all artists aged 26 or over living or working in London. For almost 90 years, the project has been a launch pad for leading contemporary artists in the early stages of their careers, including Larry  Achiampong, Frank Bowling, Alice Channer, Antony Gormley, Anish Kapoor, Grayson Perry, Heather Phillipson and Rachel Whiteread.

Notes to Editors

 – The London Open 2022 is curated by Emily Butler, Mahera and Mohammad Abu Ghazaleh Curator with Wells Fray-Smith, Assistant Curator: Special Projects and Inês Costa, Assistant Curator, Whitechapel Gallery.

About The London Open

 With a rich history, first known as the East End Academy, then the Whitechapel Open, and finally The London Open, Whitechapel Gallery has been open for submissions to exhibit since 1932. From the 1970s when the area around the Gallery in East London was home to some of the UK’s most important artists, it also became a launch pad for many artists at different stages of their careers. The London Open exhibition expanded in 2012 to include artists from the entire city, recognising the Gallery’s role in the capital’s cultural landscape and reputation for exhibiting current concerns in contemporary art.

About Whitechapel Gallery

For over a century the Whitechapel Gallery has premiered world-class artists from modern masters such as Pablo Picasso, Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, Frida Kahlo and Hannah Höch to contemporaries such as Zarina Bhimji, Sophie Calle, William Kentridge, Eduardo Paolozzi and Michael Rakowitz. Its historic campus houses exhibitions, artist commissions, collection displays, historic archives, education resources, inspiring art courses, talks and film screenings, the Townsend dining room and the Koenig Bookshop. It is a touchstone for contemporary art internationally, plays a central role in London’s cultural landscape and is pivotal to the continued growth of the world’s most vibrant contemporary art quarter.

Visitor Information

Opening times: Tuesday – Sunday, 11am – 6pm; First Thursdays, 11am – 9pm
Whitechapel Gallery, 77 – 82 Whitechapel High Street, London E1 7QX
T + 44 (0) 20 7522 7888 | E info@whitechapelgallery.org | W whitechapelgallery.org 

Press Information

For more information, interviews and images, contact:

Megan Miller, Press & Content Coordinator | +44 (0)20 7522 3315 | meganmiller@whitechapelgallery.org
Jenny Lea, Director of Audiences & Communications | jennylea@whitechapelgallery.org

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