Unfold will be held at Fabrica’s Brighton home, a unique and much-loved cultural space in the heart of the city. With its striking architecture and long history of presenting ambitious contemporary exhibitions, Fabrica provides the perfect setting to celebrate its exhibition legacy while launching a bold new chapter for artists and audiences.

Can anyone enter the Unfold open call?

This open call is open to both amateur and professional artists, provided they have a link to the UK. To be eligible, you must meet at least one of the following criteria:

• You were born in the UK, or

• You were educated or trained in the UK, or

• You currently live or work in the UK, or

• You can demonstrate another clear UK connection

We welcome submissions across all disciplines, including drawing, painting, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics, photography, jewellery, illustration and mixed media. We also welcome installations, moving image, sound and other contemporary practices.

Artists can submit up to three artworks. You can enter fewer if you prefer, and more than one submission may be selected.

Yes. We welcome both new and existing work, provided it fits the theme of Unfold and meets the exhibition requirements. All submissions are judged on their quality, originality and how well they respond to the theme, regardless of whether the work has been exhibited before.

If your diptych or triptych is sold as one artwork, it counts as one submission. If the parts can be bought separately, each piece must be entered as its own submission. Please note that if entered separately, there is no guarantee both parts would be selected.

Yes. Entry costs £20 per artwork submitted.

We actively keep our open calls as affordable as possible while delivering professionally curated exhibitions. The entry fee helps cover the costs of organising and staging Unfold at Fabrica, including the temporary exhibition build, artwork installation, marketing and exhibition management.

The entry fee helps cover the costs of delivering a professionally curated exhibition at Fabrica, including exhibition build, installation, marketing, venue costs and administration.

Our £15 open calls take place in galleries with existing exhibition infrastructure. As Fabrica's exhibition space is built specifically for each exhibition, Unfold requires additional installation and technical costs.

We use our own platform to manage submissions. It’s simple to use and will guide you through providing details of your artwork and uploading an image for the selectors to review.

Purchase your entries on this page, and then we will send you an email with a link to a closed artist page -don’t forget to check spam/junk email folders too.

On the closed artists page, you will find information about how best to submit your work, along with link/s taking you to our simple and easy-to-use submission form/s.

Sussex Contemporary is an independent arts organisation creating ambitious exhibitions, artist opportunities and learning programmes across the South East. We work with artists, cultural partners and collectors to present professionally curated exhibitions that celebrate contemporary art in all its forms. Through collaborations with organisations such as Fabrica, we create opportunities for artists to exhibit in exceptional venues, connect with new audiences and develop their practice.