The application form button is at the bottom of this page.
Please read all the information carefully before applying.
“Astonishment is the litmus test of art, the sign by which we know we have been magicked out of practical and utilitarian enterprises to confront the bottom-less dream of life in sensible form.”
ABOUT THE PROMPT
In his philosophical and poetic manifesto, Reclaiming Art in the Age of Artifice, J F Martel argues for the restoration of art’s authentic power in a world saturated by manipulation and spectacle. He contends that true art is not a cultural construct but a primordial human phenomenon, which can communicate through the “Weirdness of the Real”.
We invite artists to submit work inclusion in our upcoming 2025 Open Call Exhibition at Oriel Canfas exploring the theme “Weirdness of the Real”, which describes the uncanny charge that emerges when reality reveals its strangeness.
PRACTICALITIES
We are looking for work in any medium, (including but not limited to painting, sound, film, sculpture, installation and performance) that responds in some way to these ideas.
Maximum size of 2m x 2m for wall work.
Please do get in touch with any queries re the size of sculptures. There is some space for work up to 3.5m tall.
WHO CAN APPLY?
This opportunity is open to any UK based artist at any stage of their career.
KEY DATES:
Submissions open: Friday 26th September 2025
Submissions close: Friday 31st October 2025 (21:00)
Selection made by: Monday 10th November 2025
Delivering work:
In person to the gallery: 1000 - 1600 Saturday 22nd and 1200 - 1400 Sunday 23rd November 2025
(or at other times by prior arrangement, if you can’t make the above)
By shipping: Friday 21st November 2025 at the latest.
Exhibition dates: Friday 28th November 2025 (Opening event 1800 - 2000) until
Sunday 14th December 2025 (Closing event/collection of work for artists 1600 - 1700)
Opening times: Thursdays 1400 - 1900, Saturday/Sunday 1100 - 1630 and at other times by appointment.
ENTRY FEE FOR SUBMISSIONS:
The entry fee is £5 per work. You may submit up to 3 works at £5 each.
You need to complete a separate application form for each work, please, but you can pay the total fee in one transaction.
Charging a small fee for submitting to our open call enables us to defray the costs associated with putting it on, and also to establish a sustainable base for further outreach events in the future, like our recent Summer Artist Residencies.
However, it is important that financial constraints must not prevent anyone from entering this Open Call, so if you need assistance with this, please do email us to arrange a fee waiver.
IS YOUR WORK FOR SALE?
Please consider whether your work is for sale. Oriel Canfas’s commission is 30% of any sales, so this must be factored in to your total asking price.
“[The Real] points to a strange, unknowable order that hides behind our preconceptions, habits, and judgements. In fact our habits— all the armature of culture — form a kind of veil to protect us against it.
The Real is the inter-zone where anything could happen, all things are possible and no amount of expert knowledge can enable us to predict what might come next, or even what is actually going on in a given situation.”
ABOUT ORIEL CANFAS
Oriel Canfas is a long-established artist led gallery situated in the lovely Canton area of Cardiff. It has 8 studio holder artists working on site. It has a busy programme of exhibitions and workshops throughout the year.