OPEN CRUEL

About the Open Call

A juried group exhibition by submission, OPEN CRUEL, will be held in our gallery in Hackney, London, UK in November. The exhibition is open to all artists with no specific theme or restrictions, allowing one entry per artist or group. International submissions are welcome, though artists are responsible for the logistics of transporting physical works. The deadline for submissions is Sunday, August 10th, 2025. Selections will be made by a panel of distinguished curators: Marianne Keating, an Irish artist and researcher based in London and Associate Lecturer at the Royal College of Art; Daniella Rose King, a British curator, writer, and lecturer based in London, Lead Curator at Wellcome Collection and former Adjunct Curator for Caribbean Diasporic Art at Tate; and Jessica Taylor, a Barbadian curator and producer based in London, currently the International Curators Forum (ICF) Deputy Artistic Director. Ruby Cruel is a registered non-profit artist-run space. All funds raised from the £10 submission fee support this exhibition and the organization's mission to support artists. The opportunity offers exposure of selected works to a London audience within the physical gallery space and a wider international audience via social media. Artists have the potential to sell their work during the exhibition, subject to a reasonable commission. This is not a pay for exposure scheme; the submission fee covers administrative and exhibition costs.

What is Offered

exposure of their work to a London audience by being shown in our physical gallery space and exposure to a wider international audience through our social media reach. Work in the exhibition can be sold, if the artist wishes, so there is the potential for sales - less a reasonable commission.

Requirements

Open to all. No theme or restrictions. One entry per artist or group. International submissions more than welcome, just keep in mind that the logistics of getting physical works to and from the gallery will be your responsibility.

How to Apply

There is no application form. Just send an email to opencruel@rubycruel.com with a single image of the work you wish to have considered OR a single page PDF proposal for a work OR a single link in the case of audio/video works. In the email please include YOUR NAME, WORK TITLE, MATERIALS, YEAR OF PRODUCTION and DIMENSIONS. A brief description and installation or hanging suggestions can be included. Then click HERE, and if no luck HERE, to pay the submission fee of £10. Ruby Cruel is a registered non-profit artist-run space. All funds raised support this exhibition and keep us doing what we do to support artists. EMAIL + SUBMISSION FEE = an email entry confirmation from us. If you do not receive this then something may have gone wrong - get in contact. Those selected will be notified by early September. We look forward to seeing your work!