NOW OPEN: Call for Submissions – Outdoor Public Art. 13th Edition, Sculpture in the City. City of London, 2024–2025. Deadline for submissions: 5.00pm (GMT), Tuesday 16th January 2024. The City of London, in partnership with Lacuna (the curatorial team) and the Sculpture in the City Arts Advisory Board, are pleased to extend a call for submissions to the 13th edition of Sculpture in the City, taking place from July 2024 to June 2025.

WHAT IS SCULPTURE IN THE CITY?

Sculpture in the City (SITC) is an award-winning annual urban sculpture park, launching each year in June-July. It is a cultural initiative delivered by the City of London Corporation in partnership with 11 local businesses with a mission to present cultural projects in line with the Lord Mayor’s vision and support for London’s creative industries and artistic talent. SITC uses the Square Mile as an outdoor urban gallery space to show the best of contemporary art by established and emerging artists from the UK and the world. Open 24/7 with no admission charge, it is London’s largest free outdoor display of public art.

Each year the Arts Advisory Board selects artworks from an open call to realise a unique display of contemporary art in an urban setting. On average, SITC attracts 500,000 unique visitors each year.

SITE

SITC takes place in the EC3 area around the City’s historic buildings (St Botolph-without-Bishopsgate Churchyard) and iconic contemporary architecture (30 St Mary Axe a.k.a. ‘The Gherkin’ , Leadenhall Building a.k.a. ‘The Cheesegrater’, Lloyds Building, 22 Bishopsgate). The project’s character is set by the dialogue between the contemporary artworks and their old and new architectural settings.

EXHIBITION

SITC is the largest free public art exhibition in London. To date, SITC has presented 152 contemporary artworks in the City of London’s public spaces over 12 editions (2011–2024).  

The exhibition does not have a specific theme. Selection is based on each work’s artistic merit and its suitability to the urban context (e.g. materiality, scale and style).

The 12th edition (on view until summer 2024) showcases 18 contemporary artworks by established and emerging British and international artists, including Vanessa da Silva, Emma Louise Moore, Victor Lim Seaward, Larry Bell, Isamu Noguchi, Oliver Bragg, Ugo Rondinone, Phyllida Barlow, Simeon Barclay, Emma Smith, Arturo Herrera, Mika Rottenberg, Jocelyn McGregor, Pedro Pires, Jesse Pollock, Rafael D’Aló, and Elisa Artesero. To view the full list of artists, exhibition plan, highlights video and for further information, visit https://www.sculptureinthecity.org.uk/artwork/12th-edition/

To access the free audio guide by Bloomberg Connects, download app here: https://www.bloombergconnects.org

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

The 13th edition of Sculpture in the City offers a unique opportunity for sculptors, artists, designers and illustrators to submit artworks in five categories.

Submission categories: 3D Sculpture, 2D Art, Audio & Visual, Hanging 3D Sculpture and Light & Sound.

This page is dedicated to submitting to the 2D Art Category.

The call for submissions for the 13th edition of Sculpture in the City is now open for pre-existing artworks suitable for outdoor display from July 2024 to June 2025. Selected artworks will be on view for a year in one of London’s most iconic urban environments.

We encourage all artists, whose work meets the above criteria, to apply. SITC is an inclusive and diverse community; artists of all races, genders, disabilities and identities are invited to apply.

PREPARING AN APPLICATION

To support the application process, prospective applicants are invited to attend one of two site visits with Lacuna’s Arts Producer:

TOUR 1
Wednesday 13th December 2023, 2.00-4.00pm (GMT)
Tour starts at Isamu Noguchi’s Rain Mountain, Duo, Neo-Lithic at St Helen’s Churchyard, Bishopsgate, EC3A 6AT.

TOUR 2
Friday 15th December 2023, 11.00am-1.00pm (GMT)
Tour starts at Isamu Noguchi’s Rain Mountain, Duo, Neo-Lithic at St Helen’s Churchyard, Bishopsgate, EC3A 6AT.

• Please note, numbers are limited, and each artist is only able to attend one guided tour.
• Tours are on a first come, first serve basis with a maximum capacity of 25 participants per tour.
• Once you have registered you will receive a confirmation email.
• You will not be permitted to join a tour without a confirmation email.
• If you are unable to attend and have booked onto a tour, please inform us.
• If the tour you would like to join is fully booked, you will be placed on a reserve list. We will be in touch by 4pm (GMT) the day before the tour, should we receive any cancellations. 

Lacuna is also hosting a webinar for artists, who are unable to take part in an in-person tour. The webinar will include a Q&A section.

WEBINAR

Monday 18th December 2023, 11.00am-1.00pm (GMT)

Led by Alice Sandon, Arts Producer, Lacuna.
Meeting link will be shared with registered participants.

To register for a tour and/or webinar, please email: alice@lacuna-projects.com

Deadline for registering for the webinar: Friday 18th December 2023 9.00am (GMT)

Deadline for registering for each tour: 3pm (GMT) the day before the tour date.

ABOUT LACUNA

Lacuna is a leading cultural studio realising contemporary art and events in urban spaces and local communities. Led by Founding Director, Stella Ioannou, it works with a core team of project associates, including Arts Producer, Alice Sandon and Studio Coordinator Rachel Ball. @lacunaprojects  / Linkedin / lacuna-projects.com

PRESS COVERAGE

“None of the works in Sculpture in the City are here to stay, none are iconic statements; the pleasure is rather the unexpected interactions between works, places, people. [...] It is wholly different from the experience of rural sculpture parks, where monumental pieces stand proud and bold against open skies, yet nature always wins and remains the chief attraction. Here in the beleaguered post-pandemic city, sculpture transforms, cheers and heals.”

– Jackie Wullschläger, The Financial Times, FT Weekend (Life & Arts), 19–20 June 2021

“London has a lot of sculpture trails and temporary public displays, but Sculpture in the City has maybe the highest calibre of artists of them all. The works selected for this year’s exhibition are by some of the best young artists around, and some of the biggest established names too. If this was in a museum, you’d be impressed.”

-Eddy Frankel, Time Out London, 6 July 2023

Call for Submissions: 13th Edition, Sculpture in the City – 2D Art Category

Deadline: 5.00pm (GMT), Tuesday 16th January 2023.

PLEASE NOTE: This is the submission page for the 2D Art Category and only artworks that fulfil these criteria will be considered. If you are unsure, please refer to ‘Submission Criteria’ further down.

Examples for the 2D Art Category, currently on view in 12th edition SITC:

Arturo Herrera, untitled (2022) - The Leadenhall Building, EC3V 4AB

Arturo Herrera, untitled (2020) - 33 Creechurch Lane, EC3A 5AY

For more information, search here by artist’s name: https://www.sculptureinthecity.org.uk/artwork/12th-edition/

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

Submitted artworks must be suitable for outdoor display in a busy urban environment and available from July 2024 to June 2025. Only fully completed submissions and those relevant to the specified category, will be considered.

The 13th edition of Sculpture in the City offers a unique opportunity for sculptors, artists, designers and illustrators to submit in five primary categories:

• 3D Sculpture
• 2D Art
• Audio & Visual
• Hanging 3D Sculpture
• Light & Sound

We only accept a maximum of three applications per artist, per category, i.e., maximum of fifteen entries by one artist. Any artist exceeding the limit will be automatically disqualified.

BACKGROUND

Artworks exhibited are primarily 3D and from variety of materials (marble, stone and metal; neon, light and sound) and/or mixed media (fabric, ceramic and other composite materials). The works may be free-standing and positioned on a plinth or suspended e.g., from the ceiling, hung in a tree or fixed to a wall. Artworks can also be time-based, such as sound, film, digital and other media work.

The SITC exhibition does not have a specific theme. Selection is based on each work’s artistic merit and the artwork’s suitability to the urban context (e.g., materiality, scale and style).

SITC has been activated during Nocturnal Creatures (2018-2022) in partnership with the Whitechapel Gallery , a contemporary arts festival which brought together artist performances, music, films, talks and culinary experiences. In 2023 SITC was activated through a family-friendly festival called SculptureFest, including the festival highlight Little Art Critics TV. You can find out more about SculptureFest here: https://www.sculptureinthecity.org.uk/activation-programme/

The project is committed to extending the activation programme. Confirmed artists will be invited to submit proposals for this.

Sculpture in the City offers exciting opportunities for young people to engage with the City of London through our extensive educational programme delivered by Urban Learners. The programme reaches 200 students from local schools each year.

You can find out more about the programme here: https://www.sculptureinthecity.org.uk/education/

THE ART ADVISORY BOARD

An esteemed Arts Advisory Board, in tune with contemporary cultural discourse and familiar with the practical requirements of the setting, is responsible for the selection of artworks.

The Arts Advisory Board wishes to address contemporary issues, including gender and equality, freedom, democracy and representation, belonging and climate concerns.

Members of 13th edition Arts Advisory Board:

Sepake Angiama, Artistic Director, Iniva
Iwona Blazwick OBE, Former Director, Whitechapel Gallery
Whitney Hintz, Curator, Hiscox
Shanay Jhaveri, Head of Visual Arts, Barbican Art Centre
Guest artist and former participant tbc
Andrea Schlieker, Director of Collections and Displays, Tate Britain

SITES

There are many sites of varying sizes and conditions. The scale of the surrounding tall buildings calls for large-scale works. The prevalence of shiny monochrome buildings that make up the City Cluster, provide an ideal setting for bold and colourful artworks. Additional smaller sites (e.g. churchyards), make an ideal setting for smaller artworks.

During the past 12 editions, artworks have been hung in Leadenhall Market, in trees, in alleyways, across lampposts, on the Lloyds building and on The Leadenhall Building (The Cheesegrater). The scope of the project and its unique urban context, allows for sculpture to be showcased in exceptional locations.

Weight and installation requirements of certain artworks, in line with weight-loading capacity of specific locations, are important considerations for the selection and positioning of selected artworks.

SELECTION PROCESS

Submitted artworks are presented for shortlisting to the Art Advisory Board. Shortlisted artists and/or their gallerists are invited to a site visit with Stella Ioannou, Artistic Director and Alice Sandon, Arts Producer to select the most suitable site for the artwork.

Following the site visits, the project team liaises with the landowners to obtain approval and negotiates with the local authority legislative teams, as well as engineering and installation team. When this process is complete, meeting the conditions of the budget, the final artwork selection will be confirmed.

KEY DATES

Wednesday 13th December, 2.00-4.00pm (GMT) SITC Artist Tour 1 with Lacuna Arts Producer, Alice Sandon

Friday 15th December, 11.00am-1.00pm GMT) SITC Artist Tour 2 with Lacuna Arts Producer, Alice Sandon

Monday 18th December, 11.00am-1.00pm (GMT) - SITC Webinar with Lacuna Arts Producer, Alice Sandon.

Tuesday 16th January 2024, 5.00pm (GMT) – deadline for submissions

January 2024 – selection process 

February 2024 – notification of successful applicants

July 2024 – installation of artworks

July 2024 – exhibition opening and official launch

CONDITIONS OF PARTICIPATION

Artworks are on loan for 11 months (July 2024 – June 2025). They must be suitable for outdoor display in the public realm for the entire period and subject to a loan agreement with the City of London Corporation.

SITC covers shipping within the UK, installation, insurance and maintenance costs.
Please note that shipping from outside the UK will be considered but not guaranteed.

SITC works exclusively with Mtec, a leading international logistics provider providing bespoke solutions for art handling, installation, transport and insurance.

Participating artists and galleries receive full credit on all marketing and press materials and are invited to attend the official launch and other associated events. For the 13th edition, exhibiting artists will receive an artist fee of £750 each.

HOW TO SUBMIT

Applications must be submitted via curatorspace.com.

We strongly encourage artists to review earlier editions online and to visit the current exhibition where possible. www.sculptureinthecity.org.uk, @sculptureinthecity/@lacunaprojects  / Linkedin / lacuna-projects.com

CONTACT

For questions please contact: Alice Sandon, Arts Producer, Lacuna: alice@lacuna-projects.com

For more information: https://www.sculptureinthecity.org.uk/call-for-submissions/

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS: 5.00pm (GMT), Tuesday 16th January 2024.

Please review this document and the FAQs before contacting the Arts Producer.