Open Call 2028: South West-Based Artist Commission
Spike Island, Bristol, England
- ✓ Hand-verified by Arthead editorial, Oct 20, 2026
About this call
Spike Island in Bristol, United Kingdom, invites applications from artists based in the South West of England to develop a major new commission for its galleries, presented as part of the summer 2028 exhibitions programme. The successful artist receives a £4,000 artist fee and an £8,500 production budget (exclusive of VAT) for materials, fabrication and other direct production costs. Spike Island separately covers installation, transport, insurance, travel and accommodation, per diems, documentation and deinstallation within the limits of the budget available, and provides curatorial and technical support, access where appropriate to its residency studio and/or edit suite, and promotion. Proposals in any medium and from artists at any stage of their career are welcome, and do not need to be fully resolved, but must be feasible within the budget and timeframe. Applications in video or audio formats are also accepted.
Who can apply
- Limited by country or region
- Medium: Painting / Sculpture / Video / Photography / Drawing / Performance / Installation
- Entry fee: See official site
- Open to artists who live and have their primary studio practice in the South West of England, as defined by Arts Council England's area designations. Any medium and any career stage; artists currently undertaking an undergraduate course cannot apply. Apply with the form on the Spike Island page: CV (2 pages maximum), a proposal of up to 750 words, up to 5 sketches or images, a budget for the £8,500 production budget, and a portfolio of 10 to 15 images and/or up to 3 links to moving image or sound work (a Dropbox or Google Drive download link may be included); an access document is optional. Video or audio applications (as a link to YouTube, Vimeo, Google Drive, Dropbox or similar; WeTransfer links are not accepted) and other formats or adjustments are accepted on request. Shortlisted artists are interviewed in person or online in the week of 18 January 2027; all applicants are told the outcome by 1 February 2027. An online information session is held on 6 November 2026 at 11am. The page does not state an application fee.