Background

The Whitechapel Gallery has organised open submission exhibitions since 1932. Originally for artists living or working in east London, the exhibition now celebrates creativity across the capital.

Exhibition

15 July-6 September 2015
Galleries 1, 2, 8 and Victor Petitgas Gallery (Gallery 9)
Whitechapel Gallery
77-82 Whitechapel High Street
London
E1 7QX

Eligibility

• The London Open 2015 is open to all artists aged 26 or over (on the first day of the call for entries, 24 September 2014) who live and/or work in the London Boroughs. These are: Barking and Dagenham, Barnet, Bexley, Brent, Bromley, Camden, City of London, City of Westminster, Croydon, Ealing, Enfield, Greenwich, Hackney, Hammersmith and Fulham, Haringey, Harrow, Havering, Hillingdon, Hounslow, Islington, Kensington and Chelsea, Kingston upon Thames, Lambeth, Lewisham, Merton, Newham, Redbridge, Richmond upon Thames, Southwark, Sutton, Tower Hamlets, Waltham Forest, and Wandsworth. They are included in the following postcodes: N, NW, SW, SE, W, WC, E, EC, EN, IG, RM, DA, BR, CR, SM, KT, TW, UB, HA and WD.
• Applications are accepted from artists working in any medium however work submitted must have been made during or after the year 2012.
• Artists working collaboratively are eligible to apply, as long as they fulfil the criteria above.

Deadline

Applications for the London Open 2015 are now closed. Any applications received after 17.00 on Wednesday 17 December 2014 cannot be considered

Administration Fee

The submission fee is £25 per entrant, which goes towards our administration costs. It is not possible to apply without paying this fee, which is non-refundable.

The Entry Process

Please complete all sections of the online application form and ensure that you tick the box to confirm that you understand and agree to the terms and conditions. It is not possible to submit your application without paying the administration fee of £25.

Timeline

Call for entries: 24 September – 17 December 2014
Long list selection by Whitechapel Gallery curators: By 30 January 2015
Short list selection by expert panel: By 15 February 2015
Successful artists notified: By 16 February 2015
Private view: 14 July 2015
Exhibition dates: 15 July – 6 September 2015

Visual Documentation

• You may submit up to 5 image or 5 links to video or audio works of both to represent your practice.
• Only work made during or after the year 2012 will be considered. All images should be 72dpi JPEGs in RGB mode and with a maximum file size of 500KB. No other formats will be accepted.
• Each image file must be named with your surname, first name and a number from 1-5 e.g. SmithJohn1.jpg. This number should correspond with the image information on your online application form.
• If your work or documentation involves moving image or sound, please upload it to YouTube or Vimeo and paste links in the relevant boxes. Each clip must be no longer than 5 minutes long and must be labelled so that it is easily identifiable as your work. You may submit a mixture of images and videos but only a maximum of 5 examples of your practice in total.
• Please bear in mind that the judging panel will be making their selection from the visual material submitted. In some cases follow up studio visits will be made by Whitechapel Gallery staff to select work for the show. Whitechapel Gallery Curators will make studio visits with all selected artists to choose work for the exhibition.

Supplementary Material

Applicants must supply a 250 word statement and upload a one page A4 CV set in minimum type font 10. Please do not send additional catalogues, photographic or other material in support of your application to the gallery as it cannot be reviewed by the selectors. It is also not possible to return any such materials to you.

Receipt of application material

You will receive on-screen confirmation that your application fee has been received, and therefore that your application has been submitted. You will also receive this information by email. Please keep a copy of this for your records.

Notification

The final selection of artists for The London Open will consist of a collective choice made by the selectors, based on the submitted material. This will be made in early February 2015.

Due to the expected high number of applications, only successful applicants will be contacted by email by mid-February 2015.

Enquiries

For all enquiries please refer to the FAQs page or email
thelondonopen@whitechapelgallery.org.