Open Call for Artists of All Mediums: London Craft Week 2026 | WHISPERer

Deadline: 21/04/2026

City: LONDON  |  Country: United Kingdom  |  SPIRA9 ART

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We are excited to announce an open call for artists, creatives, designers, performers, and interdisciplinary makers to participate in WHISPERer, our upcoming exhibition at London Craft Week.

About London Craft Week:

London Craft Week is a city-wide celebration of exceptional craftsmanship and contemporary design, bringing together makers, artists, galleries, collectors, and enthusiasts from around the world.

Over three days, participants gain access to carefully curated exhibitions, studio visits, interactive experiences, and networking opportunities within London’s vibrant creative districts.

ABOUT WHISPERer:

Craft is a quiet conversation, speaking without words through touch, gesture, and material. WHISPERer explores this invisible dialogue, revealing the subtle rhythms, patterns, and structures embedded in making.

Inspired by the Fibonacci sequence, the Golden Ratio, and systems of natural growth, the exhibition considers craft as a living, recursive process: gestures emerge from the last, repetition builds structure, and materials carry memory, labour, and time.

WHISPERer is not about illustrating spirals or numbers, but making visible the quiet logic, devotion, and intelligence beneath every creation.

The exhibition invites works that transform materials into contemplative experiences, investigate repetition and structure, and embrace interdisciplinary approaches across analogue, digital, and hybrid media.

Through WHISPERer, we celebrate the poetic intelligence inherent in craft, offering artists a platform to engage an international audience while presenting their work with full curatorial care and recognition.

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR:

We welcome submissions across disciplines, including but not limited to:

  • Textiles, weaving, and fibre systems
  • Ceramics and sculptural forms
  • Metalwork and jewellery
  • Paper, wood, and stone
  • Installation and spatial practices
  • Digital craft, generative, and algorithmic systems
  • Hybrid and cross-disciplinary approaches
  • Sound, light, and immersive new media art
  • Works that explore memory, emotion, or narrative embedded in materials
  • Experimental materials, prototyping, and research-driven practices


We encourage interdisciplinary, experimental, and boundary-pushing proposals that reinterpret craft, art, and making in innovative ways.

Craft is understood expansively, as disciplined engagement between hand, tool, system, and idea

SELECTED ARTISTS WILL RECEIVE:

Artists selected for WHISPERER will participate in a professionally curated exhibition platform within London Craft Week 2026, including:

  • Official London Craft Week Listing
     Your participation will be formally listed within the London Craft Week 2026 programme, positioning your practice within an internationally recognised design and craft context.
  • Curated Exhibition Placement
     Your work will be carefully positioned within the exhibition by SPIRA9 curators to ensure optimal spatial and conceptual presentation.
  • Professional Photography & Video Documentation
     All works will be photographed and video-documented for portfolios, press, and permanent archival purposes.
  • Dedicated Artist Feature, Promotion & Press Outreach

    Each artist will receive: A dedicated feature post on SPIRA9 social channels,  Inclusion on the official exhibition website with a permanent profile page. Inclusion in the official press release circulated to design and cultural media networks, alongside festival communications.

  • Private View Event & Networking Opportunities
     Invitation to an exclusive preview event, offering direct engagement with collectors, curators, and industry professionals.
  • 0% Commission on Sales
     Artists retain 100% of any sales during the exhibition.
  • Official Invitations and Letters of Recommendation
  • Artist Awards
    Selected works may be acknowledged through SPIRA9 awards: Curator's Choice, Critics' Choice, and Audience Choice Awards to recognise outstanding works.
  • Curatorial and Technical Exhibition Support
  • Artwork Sales, Collector Network Access & Market Guidance
  • Permanent Digital Archive


To ensure the highest level of curation and support for the selected projects, a participation fee (including VAT) is required for each artist.

Category:

  • 2D Art – £255 (paintings, drawings, prints, or wall-mounted works)
  • 3D, Screen-Based & Installation – £325 (sculptural works, installations, digital, video, interactive, screen-based projects)


Besides the benefits listed, the fee also includes:

  • Fine art printing and presentation preparation (if needed)
  • Framing, mounting, and structural display solutions
  • Custom plinths and exhibition furniture (if needed)
  • Professional spatial planning and installation by the curatorial team
  • Technical infrastructure for digital and moving-image works (screens, projectors, lighting systems, cabling, mounting hardware)
  • On-site technical supervision during installation
  • Professionally produced wall texts and artwork labels
  • Inclusion in the official exhibition archive and documentation


Submission Deadline: 21 April 2026, 23:59 GMT

Please note:  Artist will receive a response within 10 working days of submitting your application. All submissions will be carefully reviewed by our curatorial team, and only selected works will be included in the exhibition. Participation is by selection, not by payment. We encourage early submissions, as space is limited and proposals are reviewed on a rolling basis.

For further inquiries or additional details, please contact us through the Contact curator tab. 

Make a submission Contact the curator
Who is eligible for this opportunity?
Artists of all media.
When is the deadline?
21 April.
How many works can I submit?
5 max.
How much does it cost?
Participation Fee:

To ensure the highest level of curation and support for the selected projects, a participation fee is required for each artist.

Category:

2D Art – £250 (paintings, drawings, prints, or wall-mounted works)

Screen-Based Art – £300 (digital, video, interactive, screen-based works)

3D Art & Installation – £330 (sculptural works, installations, immersive environments, hybrid / interdisciplinary projects)

The fee includes:

Professional art printing (if required)

Framing or mounting

Installation and wall / spatial placement

Technical support, including screens, projectors, lighting, cables, and mounts (if required)

Plinths or display structures (if required)

On-site setup assistance and supervision

Label production with artist credits, materials, and dimensions

Inclusion in exhibition documentation
Are there payments to artists?
No, but selected works may be acknowledged through SPIRA9 awards: Curator's Choice, Critics' Choice, and Audience Choice Awards to recognize outstanding works.
Is there a private view / opening?
Yes
What publicity will be provided as part of the opportunity?
Artists will be officially listed as part of London Craft Week 2026, gaining exposure to an international audience of collectors, curators, and design professionals.
Do I need to be present?
Not Required but we encourage artist to be onsite.
What happens if my proposal is chosen?
Artist will receive a response within 10 working days of submitting your application. All submissions will be carefully reviewed by our curatorial team, and only selected works will be included in the exhibition. Participation is by selection, not by payment. We encourage early submissions, as space is limited and proposals are reviewed on a rolling basis.
What kind of proposals are you looking for?
We welcome submissions across disciplines, including but not limited to:

Textiles, weaving, and fibre systems

Ceramics and sculptural forms

Metalwork and jewellery

Paper, wood, and stone

Installation and spatial practices

Digital craft, generative, and algorithmic systems

Hybrid and cross-disciplinary approaches

Sound, light, and immersive new media art

Works that explore memory, emotion, or narrative embedded in materials

Experimental materials, prototyping, and research-driven practices

We encourage interdisciplinary, experimental, and boundary-pushing proposals that reinterpret craft, art, and making in innovative ways. Craft is understood expansively, as disciplined engagement between hand, tool, system, and idea.

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