OPEN CALL for KCAW Public Art Trail 7th Edition

Deadline: 10th January 2024
Location: London, United Kingdom
Event: Kensington + Chelsea Art Week

Description

The Kensington + Chelsea Art Week (KCAW) invites artists, creative organizations, and curators to submit 3-D sculptural installations for the 7th Edition of KCAW Public Art Trail. Selected works will be displayed in various public spaces across Kensington and Chelsea throughout Summer 2024, engaging over one million visitors per week.

About KCAW Public Art Trail

The KCAW Public Art Trail, part of the Kensington + Chelsea Art Week (KCAW), was established in 2018 through community consultation. It highlights the area’s diverse cultural richness, uniting studios, museums, galleries, exhibition spaces, and businesses to draw local and international audiences to numerous events and installations.

Art Trail Locations: Exhibition Road, Duke of York’s Square, High Street Kensington, Knightsbridge, The King’s Road, Earl’s Court, Notting Hill, and North Kensington, connecting Kensington and Chelsea through art discovery.

2024 Theme: Changing Landscapes

In your application, consider social, geographical, and digital landscapes, natural habitats, and human responses to the world through AI.

Submissions are encouraged to:

• Acknowledge the area’s rich historical and artistic heritage.
• Foster audience engagement.
• Evoke a festive and celebratory atmosphere.
• Maintain a positive, non-discriminatory, and non-political stance.
• Promote inclusion and celebrate innovation for a positive societal impact.

Who Can Apply

Artists at various career stages, from local to national talents, including first-time exhibitors. The KCAW team offers comprehensive support, covering installation, public liability, insurance, engineering approvals, safety inspections, council permissions, and expenses related to delivery, installation, display, publicity, and the secure return of artworks to the artist’s studio.

The final selection of artworks is curated by a rotating Art Committee, ensuring fresh perspectives and diversity in selections.

Art Trail Alumni

Notable alumni include Ai Weiwei, Sokari Douglas-Camp OBE, Gavin Turk, Yinka Ilori, Toy Studio, Sir Terry O’Neil, Zak Ové, Baker & Borowski, Laura Ford, LR Vandy, James Capper, Richard Woods, Barnaby Barford, Liz West, Alex Chinneck, Linett Kamala, Azarra Amoy, and more.

The Art Committee

Shortlisted proposals are evaluated by an elected Art Committee comprised of leading figures from the visual arts, performance arts, literature, and media. The committee changes annually.

They assess proposals based on selection criteria, public display viability, safety, alignment with the KCAW24 curatorial theme, festival ethos, and proposed installation sites.

For the 2024 edition Art Committee, visit our website after November 1, 2023.

The 2023 Art Committee (previous edition)

• Wesley Ankrah, Director of Social Value at Savills Earth
• Baker & Borowski, Artists, Producers of Skip Gallery, Graphic Rewilding, KCAW Alumni
• Emily Candler, Cultural Placemaker, Ex-Director of Exhibition Road Cultural Group
• Sadie Clayton, Sculptor, TV Personality
• Cynthia Valianti Corbett, Director, Curator, Cynthia Corbett Gallery & Young Masters Art Prize
• Hannah Lambert, Community Engagement, The Royal College of Art
• Councillor David Lindsay, The Worshipful the Mayor of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
• Steven Medway, Chief Executive, Knightsbridge Partnership
• Adam Rutherford, Director, Art Brand Communications, The Fondation Beyeler, Art Basel Cities, V&A Museum Africa Fashion
• Victoria Whenray, RIBA RIAI AoU Architect, Board Director at Conran and Partners
• Anda Winters, Artistic Director, The Coronet Theatre

Shortlisted proposals are featured in the festival’s core program, in the KCAW Guide, digital Culture Map, and as key features in the KCAW marketing campaigns, benefiting from media coverage of the event.

Don’t miss the submission deadline on 10th January 2024.