Artichoke has announced the theme for Season 5 of The Gallery, in partnership with the British Council for its UK/Brazil Season of Culture. Artists from Brazil, the UK and around the world are invited to respond to 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. 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?
Bakul Patki, Curator of The Gallery Season 5 said:
“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.
“I’m excited to see how artists respond to our theme ‘It’s Not Easy Being Green’, and how different perspectives and stories might help us reconsider our situation.”
Tom Birtwhistle, Director, British Council Brazil said:
“The UK/Brazil Season of Culture is a celebration of the creative process –looking at how culture is developed, how it’s shared and how it is experienced by people everywhere. There are few projects that embody the idea that art is for everyone better than The Gallery. Following its success in the UK, now it’s Brazil’s turn.
“It’s powerful to know that millions of people, across thousands of locations in the UK and Brazil will collectively reflect on a topic as important as the climate crisis, all sparked by the power of public art.”
Since 2022 and across four seasons, selected works have been displayed on thousands of digital screens and billboards in over 55 towns and cities across the UK. Bringing art to places where people live, work and travel, to date, works exhibited as part of The Gallery have been viewed over 200 million times by people across the four nations of England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales.
Created with a mission to challenge traditional models of viewing art through exhibitions in public space that encourage conversation and meaningful debate, The Gallery invites artists from around the world to respond to the important topics and questions of our time.
Previous exhibitions of The Gallery include Straight White Male (July-August 2022); The State We’re In (February 2023); No But Where Are You Really From? (September 2023); and A Real Woman (September 2024). thegallery.org.uk
The Open Call for Season 5 closes on Sunday, 13th April @ 23:59 GMT, with thousands of submissions expected. The selection criteria includes artistic quality, visual impact in public space, and ability to generate conversation and public debate. APPLY HERE
Martin Firrrell, Public Artist and Creative Director of The Gallery said:
“I am looking for artworks that will thrive in the poster medium. The average poster in the street is glanced at for just 1.6 seconds. Artworks need to be bold, emphatic and visually arresting to make their presence felt.”
Selected artists will be paid a commissioning fee and will receive professional development and mentoring, as well as national and international exposure through an extensive publicity campaign. They will become part of The Gallery’s diverse permanent collection in the online archive at thegallery.org.uk.
The exhibition, It’s Not Easy Being Green will hit the streets across the UK and Brazil in October 2025, in partnership with the Out-of-Home industry, with artworks exhibited in public space at bus stops, on billboards and digital advertising screens and online.
In partnership with Out-of-Home: Clear Channel, JCDecaux, Alight Media, BUILDHOLLYWOOD, Eye Airports, KBH Group, Mass Media and Outsmart
What You Get
- A fee of £2,000
- Support from Creative Director Martin Firrell
- Support from our Exhibition Curator Bakul Patki
- An international platform to exhibit work including through the dedicated website at thegallery.org.uk
- The services of a designer to format the artwork for digital (and paper and paste sites if relevant)
- Costs of production, mounting and leasing of the advertising spaces
- Selected photographic documentation of the artwork displayed on advertising spaces
- Scheduled online meet-ups with fellow contributing artists and team
- Participation in online discussion regarding making art for the public realm
- 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.
- 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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