Questions about the selection process or exhibition? Read our frequently asked questions here.

  • Whitechapel Gallery are contacting selected artists to arrange meetings to discuss proposals.
    • Artquest does not have further information on shortlisted artists or the schedule for meetings.
  • All applicants will be contacted with the results of their proposal once final selection has been confirmed with the selected artists.
  • Feedback on your application will be given on request, after the final selection has passed.
    • Please be patient: we may be asked to compile and provide feedback on almost 400 applications while also curating the exhibition.
    • Much of the feedback will be reflective of the highly competitive nature of the open call and the limited number of artists who can be selected – 399 applications for 13 slots. Many good proposals will not be included simply due to the limitations and restrictions around any competitive open call.
    • Work is selected in accordance with the published selection criteria on this page. Final selection is informed by these curatorial decisions as much as by the quality of the work / proposal submitted.
  • Looking for more information? Visit the Whitechapel Gallery website for more.
  • Interested in our research into application and selection in the arts? See our research pages.

What is the schedule for application, selection and exhibition?

We received an unexpectedly high number of proposals and now have almost 400 to review, from which we will select around 13 for exhibition.

We are committed both to ensuring the application and selection process is transparent and consistent, and that selectors have enough time to review the proposals that you have put so much care and effort into.

On 16 January 2025 we published a revised timetable for shortlisting and selection to let applicants know that there would be a short delay to the published schedule of around one week.

After the selection panel met, and reflective of the high quality of applications received, a larger number of artists met with Whitechapel’s curatorial and technical teams than originally planned. The selection panel requested that 23 artists be shortlisted for 13 places, with a final selection to be made with input from all of these meetings.

On 16 February we updated the schedule to indicate a further short delay to final selection.

The revised application and selection schedule is:

  • 14 January 2025: eligible proposals were sent to selection panel for individual review and initial scoring
  • 14 January – 29 January 2025: selection panel review, score and comment on proposals
  • 30 January and 3 February 2025: selection panel meet to shortlist proposals
  • 4-7 February 2025: arrangements made with shortlisted artists to meet the panel, or representatives from Whitechapel Gallery, to ask for more details on their proposal. Questions provided to artists in advance.
  • 10-14 February 2025: selection panel / Whitechapel staff meet online with shortlisted artists.
  • 18 February 2025: notes from meetings with shortlisted artists shared with selection selection panel for final approval, in line with published selection criteria on this page.
  • 21 February 2025, by 5pm: selection panel final responses to meeting notes, with opportunity to meet again between 18 and 21 February for consultation.
  • 24 February 2025, by 4pm: Whitechapel Gallery confirms selection based on feedback, questions or issues raised and selection panel notified.
  • 25 February 2025: confirm selection with selected artists; after confirmation received from selected artists, inform all applicants of decisions.

Meetings we had originally expected to be held 27-31 January will now be held 10-14 February. We will only meet with artists who the selection panel shortlists.

The rest of the schedule and exhibition period, remains the same:

  • February-May 2025: planning, development and scheduling of works
  • 4 June 2025: exhibition opening of London Open Live
  • 7 September 2025: exhibition closes, evaluation begins

Can I submit a late application?

Late applications will not be accepted.

Shortlisting and selection begins the day after the deadline, with a selection meeting the following week (see schedule below). Deadline extensions mean delays to our schedule, additional cost to reschedule our selection panel, and inconvenience to the almost 400 other artists who have applied.

Why are Artquest handling the application process for a Whitechapel Gallery open call?

Artquest has been working on new procedures for more equitable open calls for some years, making it easier for artists to decide if they should apply, and for organisations to understand how to work fairly with artists. Our Tender research project gathers the research and guidance for organisations we have produced since 2022.

Artquest and Whitechapel Gallery are working in partnership to make The London Open Live a more equitable open call, drawing on Artquest’s experience. Data from the process will further add to our research, helping the arts sector more broadly run better quality open calls.

Artquest is a public programme of University of the Arts London (UAL) supported by public funding from Arts Council England as part of the national portfolio.

Is there a submission fee to apply?

No.

Who could apply to London Open Live?

London Open Live is open to artists who:

  • Live or work in London, defined as in one of the 32 London boroughs.
  • Are aged over 18 at the time of the application deadline.
  • Have worked professionally in performance and/or live art for at least 3 years.
  • Are not studying in formal education at BA or MA level at the time of deadline, or have plans to do so until at least after the exhibition closes.  Artists undertaking PhD or post-doctoral studies are eligible to apply.
  • Apply with work they have made since June 2022. Applications can propose existing or new work.

Collaborations and groups of artists are welcome to apply as well as individuals. In a collaborative application, at least one member of the group must meet all the criteria above, and all applicants must be 18 or over at the time of deadline. We are unable to increase the budget for collaborative applications or multiple artists.

What kind of work are you looking for?

London Open Live is intended to showcase new and recent live art and performance work made by artists living or working in London.

Live art explores the possibilities of the live event and the ways we can experience it. Live art practices are concerned with all kinds of interventions in the public space and all kinds of interaction with an audience.

The following definition from the Live Art Development Agency may be of use when considering your practice and applying for this opportunity:

“Live Art is a cultural strategy to make space for experimental processes, experiential practices, and the bodies and identities that might otherwise be excluded from traditional contexts.

Rather than a description of an artform or discipline, Live Art is a way of thinking about what art is, what it can do, and where and how it can be experienced. Some may experience Live Art in a gallery, others in a theatre, and others still in forests or town squares, or as a process in which they are involved.

From intimate encounters to civic spectacles, from attendance at shows and installations to mass participation in virtual events, Live Art practices are concerned with all kinds of interventions in the public sphere and all kinds of interaction with an audience.

Whatever it might look like, and wherever it may take place, Live Art always explores the possibilities of the live event and the ways we can experience it.”

We are open to proposals that explore the parameters and possibilities of live art and welcome work that involves all forms of media, as long as there is a live component. Works can be of any duration.

There are limits to the support Whitechapel Gallery can offer artists during London Open Live. These technical and practical limits will inform selection. In order to present ambitious work within our limitations, we will talk with artists during a shortlisting phase to make sure we can accommodate your projects. These meetings with shortlisted artists will take place between 27-31 January 2025.

Why do you ask if I have had help in making an application?

We ask this question to understand how artists make applications as part of our Tender research into equitable application and selection. Your answer to this question is not part of your application, and your response is not shown to the selection panel.

Artists often show draft applications to friends to make sure it is coherent, and we do not count this as getting help to apply.  Please only let us know if you are getting formal help from an organisation, or from a paid assistant, for example.

Will there be a fee for the performance or presentation?

Each project selected will be given a £1,000 budget, inclusive of all taxes and expenses, to spend in any way needed for their work. This is a per project budget, and is not based on the number of participants or number of times the work is presented.

What can I spend the money on?

You can spend the budget on any activity you need to make the work, including:

  • Fees for yourself and any collaborators or other individuals you will work with. We expect that all artists will be paid for their time, and that the whole budget may be spent on artist fees.
  • Physical or digital materials to use in your performance.
  • Any other reasonable expenses including travel or accommodation for collaborators coming to London to take part.

Although you can also spend the budget on specialist tools, props, or equipment, you should note Whitechapel Gallery’s technical support available. We expect artists to work with Whitechapel Gallery’s equipment where possible to keep costs down and avoid waste.

If I am selected, when will I receive the fee?

The full budget payment will be made after the applicant signs their contract agreement to work with Whitechapel Gallery and submits an invoice, and usually takes 10 working days to be paid into their bank account. Payment cannot be made in cash. Details of what to include on your invoice are on the contract agreement, and more information on registering as self-employed is on the Artquest website.

How many times and over what period can I present my work?

Selected artists can present work for up to 4 days from Thursday – Sunday where agreed in discussion with Whitechapel Gallery. Performances have to take place during the opening hours of Whitechapel Gallery, and fit with other programmed events during the same time.

Can I apply with new work that has not been made yet?

Yes. You can apply with any work made since June 2022 (when the last edition of The London Open took place) and/or with proposals for new work that has not been presented before. 

There are limits to the support Whitechapel Gallery can offer artists during London Open Live. These technical and practical limits will inform selection. In order to present ambitious work within our limitations, we will talk with artists during a shortlisting phase to make sure we can accommodate your projects. These meetings with shortlisted artists will take place between 27-31 January 2025. 

Performances have to take place during the opening hours of Whitechapel Gallery, and fit with other programmed events during the same time. 

What do you mean by structural barriers?

Whitechapel Gallery recognises that some artists face structural barriers as a result of disability, gender or gender expression, socio-economic background, sexuality, ethnic origin, religion, pregnancy, experience of migration, age, or the perceptions of other people in these areas. In addition, artists often receive very low pay, with those from lower socio-economic and working class backgrounds facing additional economic barriers to making and progressing in their artistic careers.

We particularly encourage applications from artists who face such barriers.

How do you define ‘lower socio-economic background’, and how can you prioritise these artists?

We determine socio-economic background by a question on the application form, which asks about the profession that your parent or primary carer had when you were around 14 years old, and the type of school you attended between 12 – 16. These questions are approved as indicators for socio-economic background for research.

If the selection panel scores 2 applications equally on the basis of artistic merit and must choose between them, any application submitted from an artist from a lower socio-economic background will be prioritised. 

It’s not possible for me to fill in an online application. Is there another way to apply?

Yes. We want the application process to be as inclusive as possible for all artists. If online applications present a barrier to you, you can:

  • Read the easy-read application procedures.
  • Record an audio file of your application which responds to the same questions as the application form.
  • You can meet with a member of the Artquest team online / over the phone / via email and give answers to the same questions as on the form. If you email, please confirm that you are eligible and let us know the best way to contact you.

If you need help from us to make an application, please email by Monday 13 December to ensure enough time to arrange to meet before the deadline.

Applications made by any alternative means will be sent to the selection panel in the same format as those that are received via the online form. This is intended to reduce any bias and ensure the panel views each application in the same way.

There is a small, limited access budget to cover costs associated with making an application for artists who face barriers to making an application. Please email to discuss this.

What do we mean ‘have been practicing outside of education for at least 3 years’?

You must have spent at least 3 years working as an artist, on either a full-time or part-time basis. Your career might have started after, or been interrupted by, a period of formal education, including studying at BA, MA and/or PhD level.

Artists who did not undertake any formal or further / higher education in art, which makes up around 10-15% of working artists, are also encouraged to apply.

We know that most artists work in other jobs, including alongside their art practice, and there is no requirement to be working as an artist full-time in order to apply. 

We also know that 3 years after beginning a professional career as an artist is a critical point in many artist’s careers, and many stop practicing at this stage due to financial and/or other pressures. Many support programmes for artists are only open to those at the start of their careers, making 3 years of practice a critical juncture in carrying on. 

What do we mean by ‘not studying on a BA or MA at the time of application, or at any point during the project period’?

You are not eligible for this opportunity if you are on a full-time or part-time accredited course of study at the time of application, or are to be enrolled on any such course during the project period.

Who will see my application?

All data from applications is handled by Artquest, a public programme of University of the Arts London (UAL). Staff will only see information relevant to their role in helping Whitechapel Gallery administer the application and selection process.

If you choose to submit monitoring information apart from the application form, this is not attached to your application and cannot be used to identify you. See more information on our Applied data partnership for details.

Anonymised applications are seen by the selection panel for the purpose of selecting projects. The selection panel includes independent artists and academics, and members of the Whitechapel Gallery curatorial team. The selection panel will be attended by a member of the Artquest team for procedural support, but Artquest does not play any part in selection of work. Whitechapel Gallery’s technical team may be made aware of some proposals to ensure the gallery can meet artists ambitions in their work. Any sharing of such information will be anonymous.

Who is on the selection panel?

  • Anne Bean, artist
  • Lois Keidan, co-founder of Live Art Development Agency
  • Martin O’Brien, Artist and Senior Lecturer in Live Art, Queen Mary University of London
  • Harold Offeh, artist
  • Whitechapel Gallery (Leila Hasham, Head of Exhibitions and Hannah Woods, Assistant Curator)

How will work be selected?

Selected artists will be those who:

  • Are eligible for the opportunity
  • Propose live art or performance work

To curate London Open Live, final selection will be made in terms of:

  • A mix of durations and types of performance and live art
  • Intergenerational artists / career stage
  • Those that can be accommodated by Whitechapel Gallery’s practical limitations
  • Reflects or invokes notions of ‘London’, ‘Open’ and ‘Live’

To gauge if shortlisted proposals can be accommodated to the support Whitechapel Gallery can offer, we will talk with artists during a shortlisting phase to better understand the work. These meetings with shortlisted artists will take place between 27-31 January 2025. Shortlisted artists who are not selected will receive a Whitechapel Gallery artist membership card.

How do you make selection equitable?

All applications are processed anonymously, with the panel only seeing an ID number for each applicant. We ask applicants not to include their names or identifying details in their application materials, and try to remove any such details before they go to the selection panel. If applicants write their names or identifying information in other sections of the application, we cannot guarantee, however, that these will be removed.

Selection panel members are requested to tell us if they think they recognise work submitted as being by personal contacts or friends. The art world is small, and many people working in specific areas, like performance and live art, will know each other either personally or professionally. We rely on the honesty and integrity of our selection panel to alert us to conflicts of interest and act ethically. Where an artist or their work is known to a member of the selection panel, we aim for their work to be neither advantaged or disadvantaged in selection.

Our selection panel is culturally diverse, and we work with diverse partner organisations to promote the opportunity, to ensure as wide a reach as possible outside of mainstream arts channels.

What happens after the selection process?

All selected artists will be invited for a site visit to see and experience Gallery 2, the space intended for the work to be presented. They will meet the curatorial team and begin discussion of technical requirements for their work. The team at Whitechapel Gallery will work closely with selected artists from February to May, remotely and on-site at the Gallery, to help develop the work for our site. A written agreement will be issued to selected artists covering payment, IP/copyright, documentation, and other arrangements.

This site visit is intended as an opportunity for selected artists to meet each other to discuss their work and get to know one another. There will be another opportunity for all selected artists to meet and network throughout the project period.

Will you give feedback on applications?

We will give feedback on applications after final selection is made where an applicant requests this. We know that feedback on applications is an important part of artists professional development.

Given the number of applications we anticipate, it could take some time for us to process all requests – perhaps some months – and feedback may be simply in terms of how competitive the process is and how few spaces for artists are available. Making detailed feedback from our small team can take a long time to fit among our other workload.

If you request feedback on your application, please be patient while we process your request.

Where will my work be located?

We expect work to be presented in Gallery 2, but are open to proposals that work in other spaces around the gallery where appropriate. The Gallery measures 19.5m (length) x 13.1m (width) x 5.9m (height) / 260 square metres

Full technical information and equipment available for Gallery 2 (PDF 9MB).

What technical support is available from Whitechapel Gallery?

There are limits to the support Whitechapel Gallery can offer artists during London Open Live. These technical and practical limits will inform selection. In order to present ambitious work within our limits, we will talk with artists during a shortlisting phase to make sure we can accommodate your projects. These meetings with shortlisted artists will take place between 27-31 January 2025.

The following equipment is available:

Stage

  • 12m2 Spider deck staging – 40cm height, individual 1m2 sections, configurable as required

Sound

  • RCF Sound system (2 x tops, 2 x subs)
  • 4 x Stage monitors
  • 2 x CDJs (XDJ1000 MK2) + Mixer (DJM750 MK2)
  • 3 x Handheld wireless microphones
  • 4 x Lapel wireless microphones
  • 2 x ‘Gooseneck’ lectern style microphones
  • Selection of wired microphones including SM58s, SM57s, condensers 

Lighting

  • 12 x Coloured Uplighters
  • Fixed white track lighting in space

Visuals

  • Fixed 4k Projector (Epson EB-PU2010W), back projecting onto a fixed screen 3.82m x 2.15m (Can’t be removed)
  • Selection of widescreen TVs
  • Selection of HD digital projectors
  • 2 x Freestanding projection screens (3m x 1.68m)
  • Various digital video and analogue playback (VHS, Digibeta, DV Cam, DVD, Blu Ray, 16mm, Slide projectors)

Full technical information and equipment available for Gallery 2 (PDF 9MB).

Selected artists will also work with the AV Technical Manager to develop their project in line with Whitechapel Gallery’s capacity.

When will the technical set up take place?

Set up will take place with the selected artists and scheduled around other Whitechapel Gallery programmed events.

Can we rehearse in the space?

Gallery 2 will be available for rehearsals between February and May, scheduled around other Whitechapel Gallery programmed events.

Who will I work with at the Whitechapel Gallery?

You will be appointed a dedicated curator chosen depending on your proposal, technical requirements, and access requirements to work on your project. You will also work closely with the AV Technical Manager.

What happens if my project develops from how I’ve outlined in my application?

We anticipate that work, particularly new work that has not been presented before, will change and develop as selected artists work in the space and consider technical limitations. Selected artists will work with their dedicated curator and the AV Technical Manager to negotiate development in your work. We will also discuss this possibility in the shortlisting meeting prior to selection.