KENSINGTON + CHELSEA ART WEEK (KCAW) IS INVITING ARTISTS, CREATIVE ORGANISATIONS, PERFORMERS AND CURATORS TO SUBMIT ARTWORKS AND PROJECTS FOR THE KCAW20 PUBLIC ART TRAIL.

Kensington + Chelsea Art Week (KCAW) is a festival celebrating the borough’s artistic legacy and its abundant creative future. With hundreds of events and public art installations throughout the borough, KCAW shines a spotlight on the area‘s unexpected and unique cultural variety. In a new development for 2020, KCAW will be extended from three to ten days, in a week-long celebration of arts and culture in West London from 26 June – 5 July 2020.

The KCAW Public Art Trail is a series of ambitious and thought-provoking installations and murals strategically placed in locations across Kensington and Chelsea to interact with the public in unique and unusual ways.

For its third edition KCAW is launching an open call to artists (including sound artists), performers, creative organisations and curators to submit preexisting artworks and/or ideas for projects to take place in a variety of public spaces during KCAW20.

Artists are asked to respond to the following themes:

• Consider the curatorial theme for 2020 ”Transformation”
• Reflect on the history and legacy of the area where the work will be presented
• Encourage audience engagement and participation
• Evoke the celebratory spirit of the festival

​The artworks exhibited are primarily 3D installations or sculpture and murals. The 3D works may be in a broad variety of materials and may be free-standing or may be shown suspended; the murals are often site-specific pieces on construction hoardings. We also highly encourage the submission of time-based and performance pieces. For 3D installations, submissions of pre-existing artworks are highly encouraged.

Participation in KCAW20 is an opportunity to engage new audiences, it provides a platform on which to present work in extraordinary locations while exhibiting alongside renowned cultural organisations and leading artists. 

Successful proposals for KCAW20 Public Art will feature public art installations and/or site-specific projects in the borough’s public realm and urban spaces. The shortlisted proposals will be evaluated by an Art Committee made up of leading names from the visual arts, performance arts, literature and media. Fees are based on the nature of each project and will be agreed with applicants at the shortlisting stage.

Additionally, shortlisted proposals will be featured in the festival’s press and communications materials, online and in print, as well as benefit from further media coverage of the event. The KCAW Public Art Trail is a key feature of the KCAW programming both during the festival and year-round, often providing the sites for workshops, talks and tours.

The deadline for submissions is 25 January 2020.