The Royal West of England Academy (RWA) in Bristol has issued a call for artist submissions to its 172nd Open exhibition, a long-running annual open-call show that invites artists from across the UK to submit works for consideration. The exhibition provides a platform for both established and emerging artists to display their work in a historic institutional setting.
This open call matters because it continues a tradition of democratic access to exhibition opportunities, allowing artists without gallery representation to gain visibility and potentially sell work. The RWA Open is one of the UK's longest-running open exhibitions, making it a significant fixture in the regional art calendar and a barometer of contemporary artistic practice outside London.