Call for Artists "Shelter" London, SE1

Call for Artists "Shelter" London, SE1Deadline: 30/09/2026City: london | Region: London | Country: United Kingdom | Monica MardareReport this? Description Opportunity FAQs Make a submission Contact curator Shelter Not necessarily a roof. We invite artists working in any medium to submit work that responds — directly, obliquely, or unexpectedly — to the question above. The work does not need to explain shelter. It does not need to illustrate it. It needs only to hold something true about what protects you, and to do so with intention and care. We are not looking for a particular aesthetic or form. We are looking for specificity — for artists who have identified something real, and found a way to bring it into the room.ShelterNot necessarily a roof.The ConceptShelter is the first thing we build and the last thing we let go of.It is a wall, but it is also a person. A room, but also a routine. A door that locks, but also a silence we keep because it protects something.We build shelter out of houses, and out of habits.We find it in people who make us feel unbreakable, and in the ones we call home even when they are nowhere near a house.We shelter each other, sometimes without noticing — a hand on a shoulder, a text sent at the right moment, a room kept exactly as someone left it.We also shelter ourselves from things: from grief, from truth, from the version of ourselves we'd rather not meet.This exhibition asks artists to locate their own shelter — and to ask, honestly, what it protects them from, and what it might be keeping out.The pull toward safety. The architecture of comfort. The walls we build without realising we're building them.“What is your shelter, and what does it cost you?”This is the only question. Every work is an answer.The InvitationWe invite artists working in any medium to submit work that responds — directly, obliquely, or unexpectedly — to the question above.The work does not need to explain shelter. It does not need to illustrate it. It needs only to hold something true about what protects you, and to do so with intention and care.We are not looking for a particular aesthetic or form. We are looking for specificity — for artists who have identified something real, and found a way to bring it into the room.What We're Looking ForStrong submissions will demonstrate a clear and personal relationship between the artist's intent and the work itself. You might approach the theme through: A person — someone who makes you feel safe, or who you shelter in turn A place — a home, a room, a landscape that holds you A body — skin, bone, and breath as the first shelter we're given A boundary — the walls we build to keep something out, or someone in A ritual — a habit that functions as protection A memory — a place that no longer exists but still shelters you Isolation — the shelter that becomes a cage Community — the collective structures that hold us when the individual can't Or something else entirely — something that shelters you that has no easy name These are starting points, not requirements. The most interesting answers often come from somewhere we did not anticipate.Submission GuidelinesWho Can Apply Open to artists at all career stages — emerging, mid-career, and established Local, national, and international applicants welcome Collaborative and collective submissions accepted — please name all contributors No entry fee What to Submit Up to 5 high-quality images (minimum 300dpi) or a video link (maximum 6 minutes) Title, medium, dimensions, and year for each work Artist statement — 150 to 300 words — explaining what shelters you and how the work responds Short biography — 200 words maximum Contact information and a link to your website or portfolio On the Artist StatementThe statement matters. Not because we need it to justify the work, but because we want to understand the particular shelter you're responding to.Be specific. Name the person, place, or thing if you can. Tell us how long it has sheltered you. Tell us what the work does in relation to it — whether the work protects, exposes, dismantles, or simply sits inside it.Generality is the enemy of a good statement. “Shelter” is a concept. What protects you is a fact. Start there.Selection & CurationSubmissions will be reviewed by the curatorial panel. Selection will be based on: The clarity and specificity of the artist's relationship to the theme The quality and intentionality of the work itself The potential of the work to contribute to a coherent and dynamic group exhibition Diversity of medium, perspective, and approach across the exhibition as a whole All applicants will be notified of the outcome by 22nd September 2026. Selected artists will receive full curatorial and installation support.Key Dates All entries must be received by 23:59 BST,30th September 2026 Selected and waitlisted artists informed by email by 10th October 2026 Confirmed artists will need to deliver their work on 29th October 2026 Opening Night: 31st October 2026 — Private view, music, drinks, artists, invited guests, and press Exhibition Open:31st October–4th November 2026 Collection of your work on 4th November 2026 Public access — artist talks and events programme TBC The ExhibitionShelter explores what protects us, and what that protection costs — not only walls and rooms, but people, habits, rituals, and the boundaries we build without noticing. Artists are invited to reflect, through their work, on what holds them, what they hide inside, and what shelter might be keeping out as well as keeping in.The exhibition provides a carefully organised environment where each artwork is displayed clearly, without overcrowding, ensuring a visually coherent and immersive experience.The exhibition will take place in a large contemporary space in Central London. Its generous scale allows room for ambitious artworks, immersive installations, and pieces that benefit from an open, spacious environment.Viewings are arranged by appointment to encourage intentio