Open call for artists
IT’S NOT EASY BEING GREEN
ENTRIES FOR SEASON 5 ARE NOW CLOSED
The Gallery is on a mission to spark meaningful conversations through art, and this time, we want your artistic take on the theme: It’s Not Easy Being Green.
Conversations about climate change dominate the global agenda. From corporate greenwashing to debates about single use plastics, carbon footprints and environmentally-sustainable living, Kermit the Frog’s singular line “It’s Not Easy Being Green” takes on a whole new meaning.
How can it inspire meaning and generate ideas to help our societies navigate the environmental challenges that lie ahead?
With COP taking place for the first time in Brazil this November, The Gallery Season 5 is delighted to partner with the British Council as part of the UK/Brazil Season of Culture. We’re inviting artists from Brazil, the UK and around the world to respond to the theme ‘It’s Not Easy Being Green’.
The selected proposals will be reproduced at scale and displayed for millions to see on public sites traditionally reserved for advertising across the UK and Brazil. This is an opportunity for artistic exposure on a grand scale and to be part of a national conversation.
Selected artists acknowledge that their artwork is being exhibited in the public realm on billboards and other media around the UK, and that it responds to a theme which may provoke public debate. The quality and manner of this debate is likely to be unpredictable.
The Open Call closed on Sunday 13 April, 2025, 23:59 BST
Produced by Artichoke and conceived in collaboration with Creative Director and public artist Martin Firrell, this major project is supported by the Out-of-Home* industry.
*The term Out-of-Home refers to any visual advertising media found outside of the home, including on-street billboards, digital screens, bus-shelters and train stations.
Open Call Deadline:
Sunday 13 April, 2025, 23:59 BST
What you get
Artists will be supported to develop and adapt their work for presentation on advertising billboards, bus shelters and similar. They will also receive ongoing mentoring and advice during the process. All artists receive:
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A fee of £2,000
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Support from Creative Director Martin Firrell
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Support from our Exhibition Curator Bakul Patki
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An international platform to exhibit work including through the dedicated website at thegallery.org.uk
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The services of a designer to format the artwork for digital (and paper and paste sites if relevant)
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Costs of production, mounting and leasing of the advertising spaces
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Selected photographic documentation of the artwork displayed on advertising spaces
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Scheduled online meet-ups with fellow contributing artists and team
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Participation in online discussion regarding making art for the public realm
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Invitation to exhibition launch in London in October 2025. If based in the UK, reasonable travel and one night’s accommodation will be included. For artists based outside of the UK, a travel stipend will be provided to go towards any/all travel expenses, including visa fees and one night’s accommodation is included.
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For those based outside the UK, Artichoke will explore additional means of support towards travel costs where possible (e.g. from Embassies, Trusts and Foundations).
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Theme
The theme for Season 5 is: It’s Not Easy Being Green
Conversations about climate change dominate the global agenda. From corporate greenwashing to debates about single use plastics, carbon footprints and environmentally-sustainable living, Kermit the Frog’s singular line ‘It’s Not Easy Being Green’ takes on a whole new meaning.
What can art bring to the conversation? How can it inspire meaning and generate ideas to help our societies navigate the environmental challenges that lie ahead? We invite artists from Brazil, the UK and around the world to respond to the theme ‘It’s Not Easy Being Green’.
With COP taking place for the first time in Brazil this November, The Gallery Season 5 is delighted to partner with the British Council as part of the UK/Brazil Season of Culture.
“I’m incredibly proud that with this season of The Gallery we’re broaching perhaps the most urgent issue of our time – the climate crisis.
Experts warn we’re failing to make the changes we need to secure a liveable future, and climate change is impacting every community in every country, as well as the natural world we inhabit.
How can art help us understand the challenges we face? I’m excited to see how artists respond to this Season’s theme ‘It’s Not Easy Being Green’, and how different perspectives and stories might help us reconsider our situation” – Bakul Patki, Curator, The Gallery Season 5
Eligibility
The call is open to all practitioners aged 18+, working at any level, including students, no matter where you are based.
This initiative exists to champion ground-breaking artworks by artists at any stage of their practice.
Collaborative applications as a group or collective are eligible (fee remains at £2,000).
Inclusion and diversity
Artichoke is committed to equality and diversity in all opportunities provided. We encourage entries from artists of all backgrounds, ages, genders, socio-economic backgrounds, ethnicities, religions, sexual orientations, and from those who identify as having a disability or consider themselves neurodiverse.
We ask demographic questions in the application form, but this information is not mandatory, and you can choose not to complete this part of the form if you prefer.
To ensure that a diversity of voices is represented in the exhibition, the selection process will not be anonymous, and the selection panel will have access to the demographic information provided if artists choose to include this in their application form.
Asking for demographic information also helps us to monitor how well we are reaching our organisational aims. In addition, we may be required to report on this data as part of funding agreements.
All information will be kept securely in line with General Data Protection Regulations, and any data shared with a funder will be amalgamated and anonymised.
Application questions
It may help you to prepare your written answers in a document beforehand, then paste them into the fields when you’re ready. Please find the questions which require a written answer below.
2a. Please share a short artist bio.
A short professional biography which can include career highlights, education and a summary of your work. *
Approximately 250 words (maximum of 1,250 characters including spaces).
2c. Describe your proposed artwork.
Please reference the materials and methods involved in making the work and how it relates to the Season 5 theme ‘It’s Not Easy Being Green’. *
Approximately 700 words (maximum of 3,500 characters including spaces).
Please read and/or listen to the Open Call Information Pack below before you complete the online entry form. The pack includes:
- Guidance about preparing and uploading your entry
- Terms and Conditions
- Frequently asked questions
Open Call Information Pack (PDF)
Open Call Information Pack (Word Document)
Open Call Information Pack (Large Print Word Document)
Open Call Information Pack (Plain Text Document)
