I have been doing some research on where can I exhibit my work and this post has the information that I have gathered so far.
There are several events and places to exhibit in London, and a lot of them contemplate a payment or submission feet. Artist fairs can charge around £445 + VAT for a space in their events, and places like the Brick Lane Gallery charges from £660 onwards for 3m of space for exhibition.
You should probably be cautious of platforms that present themselves as the new solution for artists in London – a lot of those initiatives have failed and/or are currently not organising any activities. I have checked some of them and they are currently inactive, i.e. creative debuts and art rebellion (hopefully they will come back!).
Unless you are willing to pay a certain amount of money to exhibit your work, wether in a gallery or in an event, your next options might be your local coffee shop, independent libraries, pubs, co-op galleries and community centres.
I have put on a list of platform/galleries/fairs with prices, comments, and deadlines. I will not list small coffee places, shops, community centres or pubs that would be willing to display artist’s work, as this is something to be researched locally. I have made the next categories to organise them:
- Paying for spaces to exhibit in London: self explanatory, I hope. Places in which you pay for the space.
- Specific submission sites for the next three months in London (Sept 2019 onwards): this will be updated once in a while. If you know of any opportunity that I have not included, please drop me a line and I will update it.
- Platforms that update opportunities for exhibitions in London: good sources to find out about other opportunities. So far, updated frequently.
If you prefer to see the list as an excel spreadsheet, please check this link. It has the information as a Google spreadsheet. Feel free to leave comments on your experience with this platforms or places, if any. Also, feel free to add comments of other platforms I may have missed.
Paying for spaces to exhibit in London
- When: to be agreed
- Where: London E1 6SA
- Price: from £660 onwards for 3mts space
- Comments: N/A
- When: every month
- Where: different cities in EU
- Price: TBC
- Comments: not accepting individual exhibitions; does not give information
- When: to be agreed
- Where: Surrey CR5 2NH
- Price: TBC
- Comments: confirming if active
- When: Spring 2020
- Where: London E1 6QR
- Price: starting from £1,375 + VAT for 5 linear metres of wall space
- Comments: deadline 6th December 2019
- When: Spring 2020
- Where: London SE1 9PH
- Price: exhibiting space starts at £395+VAT
- Comments: include at least 3 samples
Specific submission sites for the next three months in London (Sept 2019 onwards)
Minimalist exhibition submissions
- When: November 2019
- Where: London
- Price: application fee £6
- Comments: deadline November 10th 2019
- When: November 2019
- Where: London
- Price: application fee £6
- Comments: deadline November 10th 2019
- When: 2021
- Where: Moscow, Russia
- Price: not clear in webpage
- Comments: deadline 27th November, 2019. 4 cash prizes of €10.000 each
Exhibition Art Maze submissions
- When: 13-17 November 2019
- Where: London SE1 9PH
- Price: submission to participate £260 for 4 art works
- Comments: N/A
‘Summer Exhibition’ submissions
- When: Summer 2020
- Where: London E1 6QR
- Price: submission is free
- Comments: N/A
Artist of the month exhibition
- When: every month
- Where: N/A (online)
- Price: not confirmed
- Comments: deadline the 20th of every month
Lifted 19 Art Competition for Teen Artists
- When: December 12 – January 27, 2020
- Where: London E1 4UJ
- Price: submission fee £8
- Comments: deadline 1st December 2019; 15-19 years old participants
- When: Spring 2020
- Where: London E1 6QR
- Price: submittion is free
- Comments: deadline not clear (possibly until January 2020); 3 example images to be sent
The Pastel Society submissions
- When: January and February 2020
- Where: London SW1Y 5BD
- Price: submission fee: £18 per work (or £12 per work for artists aged 35 or under), which includes Free Admission to the exhibition (normally £4)
- Comments: deadline 1st November 2019. Please see webpage’s timeline (prizes included)
303rd Annual Exhibition of British Artists
- When: February 2020
- Where: London SW1Y 5BD
- Price: submission fee: £18 per work (or £12 per work for artists aged 35 or under), which includes Free Admission to the exhibition (normally £4)
- Comments: deadline 29th November 2019. Please see webpage’s timeline (prizes included)
208th Exhibition of Water Colour Painters
- When: April 2020
- Where: London SW1Y 5BD
- Price: £18 per work (or £12 per work for artists aged 35 or under), which includes Free Admission to the exhibition (normally £4)
- Comments: deadline 3rd January 2020. Please see webpage’s timeline (prizes included)
Portrait Painters Annual Exhibition
- When: May 2020
- Where: London SW1Y 5BD
- Price: £18 per work (or £12 per work for artists aged 35 or under), which includes Free Admission to the exhibition (normally £4)
- Comments: Deadline 17th Januar 2020. Please see webpage’s timeline (prizes included)
- When: TBC
- Where: TBC
- Price: 1 artwork £30 + VAT / 2 artworks £35 + VAT / 3 artworks £40 + VAT / 4 artworks £45 + VAT
- Comments: confirming if active
- When: TBC
- Where: several places; main office EC2A 3AY
- Price: no submission fee
- Comments: confirming if active
