Apply to the 2025 Shape Open exhibition

About the Open Call

Our annual call out is now open. This year, to address the cuts to payments and funding that threaten disabled people’s lives, we are seeking work which responds imaginatively to themes of rights, protest, power, and the state of the British welfare system. We are also interested in work that reflects on how protest itself is changing: becoming more digital, more restricted, and increasingly under threat, for example by surveillance. This exhibition is supported by our National Disability Movement Archive and Collection (NDMAC), which is collecting the heritage story of the disability rights movement. Our show will include photographs by Keith Armstrong, a disabled poet, artist, musician, and activist. His photos of disability rights protests in the 1980s and 1990s are part of our NDMAC archive and collection. We have included a selection further down this page. We hope they inspire you. The exhibition will be at The Engine Shed in High Wycombe. It’s a big space, so we’re looking for work that can stand out and make an impact. Think bold colour schemes, big messages, or eye-catching formats. We’re keen to find work that can be hung across the space or projected. We’d be interested in light-weight sculptures and installations that can be easily dismantled and rebuilt in the venue. This show is a kind of protest in itself. We’re especially keen on artwork that clearly tackles the themes, maybe with large text, clear slogans, or strong visual messages. What is the Shape Open? Things to keep in mind when applying: We can’t accept very large or heavy artworks that are hard to move or take apart. Performances might be included, but we’ll mainly choose work that can stay on display for the whole exhibition. Flat / 2D works such as photography, painting, drawing or text on a page can be submitted but cannot be displayed on walls. So your submission should come with a suggestion as to how the work could be shown in a different way, or at a different scale. You are welcome to do a sketch or explain in a brief written note how this might look or work. We are interested in creative or unusual ideas , so this could be a good way to rethink how your work connects with people in a public space. The venue is big , so we’re looking for work that can fill the space. That doesn’t always mean “large” – for example, you might suggest we project pages from a zine instead of showing the physical copy. If you have ideas for scaling up your work, tell us in your application. For example, we could project a larger image of the work. There are photos of the venue on our website to help you consider this. You must be able to post your work with a regular delivery service like Royal Mail, Evri, or DHL. If that’s not possible, think about how we might show it another way – for example, as a digital image or projection. We do not expect people to make new work for this exhibition. You can submit work that you have already made, works in progress, R&Ds, or, should you wish to, new work. Where works are in production, or you have ideas about how you want to change elements for this exhibition, we ask that you upload sketches or examples as images as part of your application. Work will be selected by the Shape Arts team, including a member of our NDMAC heritage project. If you’ve been part of the Shape Open before, you are welcome to submit work again. However, we won’t exhibit the same artwork you previously exhibited. Unfortunately we cannot guarantee being able to give feedback to individuals. Where we can, however, we will create new resources to share with disabled artists to improve their future chances. This artist call is free to apply to. You must be over 18 years of age and live in the UK. Selected artists will each receive £250 for exhibiting their work. Shape will cover costs related to transport of artwork. The deadline for sending in your application is midnight on Sunday 27 July 2025 (UK time). The call out is open to disabled and non-disabled artists and creatives of all career stages. The Open is Shape’s annual exhibition on a disability-related theme. It provides an important space to discuss issues which are often sidelined within artistic debate. About the venue: The Brunel Engine Shed is part of Buckinghamshire New University, where the Shape Arts office is based. It is a Grade II Listed building, designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel and built in 1854. Originally, it was a train station and engine shed for High Wycombe. It has recently been refurbished and reopened to the public. The venue is directly opposite High Wycombe train station and on the side of a main road through town. It has large windows all the way around. We are keen to use this to our advantage, showing off the exhibition to passers-by and drawing them inside. The exhibition space is large. There are lots of ways to hang work in the space, both down and across the room. But we are not allowed to drill into the brick walls of the building, so we will use hanging systems and standing frames to display work. The largest entrance to the venue is 127cm wide. Think about whether your work will fit through the door.

What is Offered

Selected artists will each receive £250 for exhibiting their work. Shape will cover costs related to transport of artwork.

Requirements

Artists must be over 18 years of age and live in the UK. Artwork should not be very large or heavy. Performances may be included but preference is for work that can remain on display. Flat/2D works must include a suggestion for non-wall display. Artists should be able to post their work or propose a digital/projection display method. Previously exhibited artwork at the Shape Open is not accepted.

How to Apply

There are several ways you can submit an application: via Google Form, Word Document, or by sending a recording (video or audio). Submissions can be uploaded within the Google Form or sent directly to exhibitions@shapearts.org.uk. For large files, use file transfer systems like PCloudTransfer or WeTransfer. All Word Document applications should be downloaded, completed, and returned to exhibitions@shapearts.org.uk. Images can be embedded or attached via email/file sharing. For support or questions, contact exhibitions@shapearts.org.uk or phone 0207 424 7330, allowing plenty of time before the deadline.