How to make the most of open-call group shows

Open-call group shows are best approached as a treasure hunt rather than a single statement: walk the whole room once to get your bearings, then go back slowly to the few works that genuinely stopped you. Unlike a solo show or a tightly curated group exhibition, an open-call show is a deliberate jumble of voices, and the pleasure lies in finding the two or three artists you want to remember among dozens you’ll forget.

What makes an open-call show different from a normal exhibition?

An open-call show is built from submissions, not selected from a gallery’s own roster, which is why it feels so different to stand in. A panel issues a public call, artists send work, and a selection is made, so the hang reflects who applied that year as much as any curatorial argument. That means the quality varies more than in a represented show, but it also means you’re seeing work that hasn’t been filtered through the commercial machinery first. For an unknown name, a good open exhibition is one of the few ways into a public wall.

The upside is range. You’ll find a confident oil hanging beside a tentative first linocut, a established maker testing something new beside a recent graduate. The downside is the density: open shows often hang far more work, far closer together, than you’re used to. Knowing that going in changes how you pace yourself.

How should you actually look at a crowded hang?

Do one fast, judgement-free lap first, then return only to what called you back. The instinct in a busy room is to give every piece the same dutiful ten seconds, work along the wall in order, and leave exhausted having absorbed nothing. Resist it. Let your eye move quickly the first time and simply notice where it snags. Those snags are information.

The first walk is for noticing what pulls you; the second is for finding out why.

On the second pass, slow right down. Stand in front of the handful of works that held you and ask the plain questions: what is this made of, what is it doing, would I want to live with it. You’ll often find that the pieces which survive a second look aren’t the loudest in the room. Crowded hangs flatter showy work on first glance and reward quieter work on the second.

How do you spot the artists worth following?

Look past the single striking image to the sensibility behind it, because in an open-call show you’re really collecting names, not just admiring objects. If a work stops you, read the label, note the artist, and photograph it for later if photography is allowed. The point of the exercise is to walk out with a short list of people whose next show you’d cross town for.

Pay attention to control rather than polish. A modest piece that knows exactly what it’s doing tells you more about an artist’s future than an ambitious one that doesn’t quite land. Many of the artists who later fill the walls of spaces like Bloc Projects in Sheffield or the studios at Bow Arts in east London were first seen in exactly this kind of show, several years before anyone was watching.

Is everything for sale, and how do you buy it?

Most open exhibitions price the work and welcome sales, so if something genuinely stops you, ask. There’s usually a price list at the desk and a discreet system of red dots or labels to mark what’s already sold. The gallery takes a commission, the rest goes to the artist, and buying from an open show is one of the most direct ways to support someone early in their career. You don’t need to be a collector to do it; you need to like the work and ask the price.

If a piece is beyond your budget, ask whether the artist makes prints or smaller work, and take their details. Open shows are where relationships start, and a polite enquiry now is remembered later.

When is the best time to go?

Go to the private view if you can, and a quiet weekday morning if you can’t. Opening nights bring the artists themselves, which turns a wall of names into actual conversations, and the energy of a packed room is part of what makes these shows fun. But the work itself is easier to read in an empty gallery, so if your aim is serious looking rather than the social side, an early visit on a quiet day will serve you better.

Annual and society open exhibitions, such as those that have long defined places like Bankside Gallery on London’s South Bank, reward returning year on year. You start to recognise names, watch makers develop, and build a feel for what a particular open call rewards. That accumulated familiarity is the real prize of the format. One visit is a lucky dip; a habit of visiting is an education.

The quiet pleasure of an imperfect show

The thing to make peace with is that an open-call show is meant to be uneven, and that unevenness is the point. You are not looking at a finished argument; you are looking at a cross-section of what people are making right now, in all its variety and risk. Lower your expectation of consistency and raise your appetite for surprise, and these shows become some of the most rewarding afternoons in the gallery calendar.