Deadline Looming For Artists Involved In Quay Arts’ Open Exhibition 'FREEDOM'

The deadline is looming for artists to enter a themed Open Exhibition at Quay Arts, Newport.

Scroll for details on how to apply....

Every two years, Quay Arts invites emerging and established artists from across the UK to submit works in any medium to be a part of a themed Open Exhibition.

It is through these Open Exhibitions new talent is discovered and it provides a platform for visual artists that wish to share their work with the world. 

With the title and theme ‘Freedom’, the team is looking for works exploring ideas centred around current freedoms or lack of.

Works exploring this theme can be produced in any medium but must be within 2m x 2m dimensions, max no of works x3. 

Previous Open Exhibition winners include: 

Rachel Johnston (Open Exhibition ‘A Life in Nature’, 2019 ); Caroline Underwood (Open Exhibition ‘I must down to the seas again’, 2017); Joanna Kori (Open Exhibition, 2015); Holly Cade & Liz Sterry (Open Exhibition ‘Duet’, 2013); Katayoun Dowlatshahi (Open Exhibition, 2010/11); and Julian Rowe (Open Exhibition ‘Location’, 2008).

Rachel Johnston, Open Exhibition ‘A Life in Nature’, 2019 

The latest Open Winner Rachel Johnston will be exhibiting later this year in 2021 with ‘All Rivers Run North’. It describes a geological peculiarity in that all IW rivers run northwards, a result of the shift that took place when the island separated from the mainland. The theme of seismic shifts, weight, structure and force, will be expressed in the sequential, accumulating nature of the woven sculptural pieces. The human scale of the artworks will provoke questions about the consequences of human activity on the island, the erosion and the ecological impacts of Global Warming, and will reference the island’s recent UNESCO Biosphere status. The glove motif in some of the artworks, will also signify as a reminder of the presence and responsibilities we have in the environment as the interconnection between the community and its evolving narratives.

https://racheljohnstonart.com/

Caroline Underwood, Open Exhibition ‘I must down to the seas again’, 2017 

The 2017 Open Exhibition titled and themed “I must down to the seas again” borrowed from John Masefield’s original 1902 ‘Sea Fever’ poem, saw works reflecting our love, fear, and curiosity about the sea. Included in this selection and winning the prize was Island-based artist Caroline Underwood. Her solo exhibition ‘Bearings’ explored her connection with the Island’s land and seascapes. Coinciding with the Walk the Wight charity event, Isle of Wight Walking Festival and Round the Island race, her responses to places are developed in series as large-scale paintings and installations, representing the way she experiences the land and sea – not just by looking at it, but moving through it, being in it. 

http://cazunderwood.co.uk/

Joanna Kori, Open Exhibition, 2015

Joanna Kori is an artist, curator and digital learning specialist. Her solo exhibition ‘Future reCollections’ was an exhibition of six tableaux that formed a response to previous and current uses of the Quay Arts building. She created a series of ‘future memory’ constructions, made in her chosen material - gum-strip paper coated in linseed oil, as well as a series of pencil and watercolour drawings. The casts aimed to engage the still-life tradition from a contemporary perspective - working objects, domestic activity, and the preparation for events.

http://joannakori.com/

Holly Cade and Liz Sterry, OPEN Exhibition ‘Duet’, 2013

Winners of Quay Arts’ first collaborative Open Exhibition ‘Duet’ were Island-based photographer, Holly Cade and Essex-based artist, Liz Sterry. Highlighting their physical separation, they developed works based on the theme ‘journey’. Working in photography and mixed media, they created the work collaboratively through discussions via Facebook without meeting in person until the opening of their collaborative show ‘Journey’. 

www.hollycade.co.uk |  www.lizsterry.co.uk

Katayoun Dowlatshahi, OPEN Exhibition, 2010/11 

Iranian-born British artist, Katayoun Dowlatshahi works in contemporary photographic art, drawing, architectural glass and time based media. Katayoun’s final work ‘Orbit’ produced for a solo exhibition at Quay Arts explored the Island’s Needles New Battery site, investigating its involvement in the British Space Programme in the 1960’s. She also curated an offsite event at the Needles to engage audiences with the Island’s history through contemporary visual art.

http://www.katayoundowlatshahi.com

Julian Rowe, OPEN Exhibition ‘Location’, 2009

Julian’s work explored scale, repetition and narrative, through works resembling collected artefacts of lost cultures. Through the creation of several monumental pieces for his solo exhibition ‘Turn the Key Deftly’, he invited the viewer to complete the narrative as he explores the landscape as a cultural construct. 

http://www.julianrowe.co.uk/ 

Prizes:

One artist will be selected from the Open Exhibition 2021 for a solo exhibition at Quay Arts in the West Gallery in 2023.

The solo exhibition will include curatorial input, mentoring, marketing and installation support.

A further selection of up to 7 artists will be selected for a specially curated group exhibition in the West Gallery for early 2022.

Selection Panel:

Rachel Johnston, Open 2019 Winner; Eugene Dugan-Brause, Arts Manager – Quay Arts;  Ian Whitmore, Visual Arts Manager (maternity cover) - Quay Arts.

To apply:

Please visit https://www.quayarts.org/quay-arts-biennial-open-exhibition-2021-freedom/ to fill out the online application form.

There is a one-off £20 Submission fee. Entrants must be 18 years or over.