Unfold Open Call 2027

About this call

Unfold is the second UK-wide judged open call from Sussex Contemporary and Fabrica, following Resonance. Artists working across all disciplines are invited to respond to the theme Unfold, an exhibition exploring ideas of emergence, transformation and possibility; the theme is intended as a starting point rather than a constraint. Selected works will be exhibited at Fabrica, a gallery in a Grade II listed former church in Brighton's Lanes, United Kingdom, from 17 April to 9 May 2027. Original artworks in any medium are welcome, including drawing, painting, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics, photography, jewellery, illustration, mixed media, installation, moving image, sound and performance. Work is chosen by an independent panel of five arts professionals, and all selected work is available for purchase during the exhibition. Two prizes go to selected artists with no separate application: the WeAreBrighton Prize, a year's access to the monthly WeAreBrighton talks with mentoring sessions from Jo Myles, Creative Director and Founder of Sussex Contemporary; and a showing of one artist's photographic image in Fabrica's street-facing Window Gallery on Duke Street between May and September 2027. Artists are notified in the week commencing 8 March 2027.

Who can apply

• United Kingdom only
• Medium: Painting / Drawing / Printmaking / Sculpture / Ceramics / Photography / Mixed Media / Installation / Video / Performance
• Entry fee: £20
• Open to amateur and professional artists with a UK connection: you must have been born in the UK, been educated or trained in the UK, currently live or work in the UK, or be able to demonstrate another clear UK connection. A gallery, agent or estate expressly authorised to do so may submit on the artist's behalf. Entry is £20 per artwork, up to three artworks per artist; fees are non-refundable. Entries are bought on the open call page, and the link to the submission form is then sent by email; the form asks for measurements in cm and weight in kg, and cannot be changed once submitted. Original artworks only: giclée prints, digital reproductions and other reproduction prints are not accepted. Previously exhibited work is accepted. A diptych or triptych sold as one artwork counts as one submission. Image files up to 1MB. Video and sound are submitted as a link (video on a platform such as Vimeo or YouTube), and selected artists provide any equipment needed to show their work, as Fabrica does not have it on site; performance is assessed by video and, if selected, performed live at Fabrica on scheduled dates during the exhibition. Selected work must arrive ready for exhibition: two-dimensional work professionally presented with fixings for hanging, three-dimensional work stable. Selected artists pay for delivering and collecting their work: drop-off is on 12 April 2027 (1 pm to 5 pm), collection on 9 May (4 pm to 6 pm) or 10 May (10 am to 1 pm), and artists with installation work must be available to install in the week commencing 12 April 2027. Work not removed by the final collection date is charged £15 per week or part week per work, and artists sending work from abroad are responsible for any import taxes. There is no hanging fee. Sussex Contemporary takes 30% commission on sales, including sales made within three months after the exhibition as a result of it; unsold work must stay in the exhibition until it ends and may not be for sale elsewhere before or during it. The Window Gallery opportunity is only open to artists currently residing in the UK, and the work must be suitable for a street-facing window and meet Fabrica's presentation requirements.