UKS OPEN CALL
2022–2023 EXHIBITION PROGRAM

The application form for UKS’ Open Call is now closed.

 

UKS extends an Open Call to both Norwegian and international artists to apply for our 2022–23 program. This year, UKS invites applications for the following formats to be shown in our space in central Oslo:

• Solo exhibitions
• A juried group exhibition for the opening of UKS’ new exhibition space
• Two grants for artists aged under 35, funded by Snorre Andersen, Maleren Ambrosius Egedius og Hustrus Legat (SAMAEHL). Read more about the grants below.

 

UKS IS MOVING

UKS is moving to new premises in central Oslo with more square footage and an even better infrastructure to support young artistic practice. We open in fall 2022 with a juried group show that celebrates our new home and the diversity of artistic expression and voices. As we will be closed for much of 2022, the opening year has only this one exhibition. From 2023 our program of solo presentations continues.

 

PRACTICE-FOCUSED APPLICATION PROCESS

Artists are invited to submit material based on their practice and are thus explicitly encouraged to describe and document existing works and methodologies, and the direction in which these have moved in recent years. Applicants are not expected to describe concrete plans for an exhibition or the production of work.

UKS wishes for the selected artists to enter into a collaboration with the organization on the grounds of their ongoing production, aiming to mold the institution to the artistic process, with its potential material “sidetracking” or conceptual surprises, and not vice versa. UKS also wishes to minimize the amount of work involved in describing proposals for new projects whilst emphasizing the democratic principle of an open call.

Eligible artistic practices include solo artists, groups, or other constellations and forms of collaboration.

Artists can apply for all three sections of the open call.

 

GROUP EXHIBITION

We celebrate the opening of UKS’ new space with a group exhibition showing four to eight artistic practices. Selected artists will be invited to create new work for the exhibition based on their existing practice and conversations with UKS’ director and the other exhibiting artists. We invite all artistic methodologies and expressions.

 

SOLO EXHIBITION

From 2023, UKS returns to a program of solo exhibitions, in which four artists are given financial and curatorial support to develop a new solo presentation. Through each solo exhibition, UKS wishes to focus on the development of one ongoing artistic production, giving space for growth, potential, and surprise.

 

SNORRE ANDERSEN, MALEREN AMBROSIUS EGEDIUS OG HUSTRUS LEGAT (SAMAEHL)

Snorre Andersen, Maleren Ambrosius Egedius og Hustrus Legat (SAMAEHL) specifically supports younger gifted artists and was established as a foundation after the merging of three scholarships associated with UKS Young Artists’ Society: Snorre Andersen’s Grant, Painter Ambrosius Egedius and His Wife’s Grant, and the UKS Bond Fund. In 2020, the foundation was discontinued and the remaining funds transferred to UKS, which is now responsible for the management of the grant’s remaining funds.

The foundation stipulates that “Remaining funds after the decision to discontinue Snorre Andersen, Maleren Ambrosius Egedius og Hustrus Legat (SAMAEHL) will go to grants for younger gifted artists, according to the purpose of the foundation […] The remaining funds shall be managed by UKS in line with the foundation’s purpose of awarding scholarships to younger talented artists, and in accordance with guidelines confirmed by the SAMAEHL board.”

The funds will be distributed in the form of grants to support younger talented artists, must be awarded to artists under the age of 35, and can only be granted to an individual once. In 2021, UKS announces two scholarships of NOK 50,000 each.

To apply for the scholarship, please submit the same documentation as for the exhibition program, tick the box that confirms your application for the grant, and confirm that you are under 35 years of age. Recipients of the grant must provide documentation to prove that they were under 35 years of age at the time of application.

 

THE UKS PROGRAM AND JURY PROCESS

The UKS Open Call programing strand focuses on emerging and experimental artistic practices, aiming to provide a platform for the selected artists to present their first large-scale solo exhibition in Oslo, backed by UKS’ production budget and institutional assistance.

In its scope, the UKS program features national and international contributors. Traditionally, at least half of the UKS program has been centered on artists based in or related to Norway.

Beyond being a programming institution for contemporary art, UKS is also a membership organization working to better the rights and conditions for young artists in Norway. However, UKS’ institutional program is funded independently of its membership function, and it does not privilege UKS members over non-members.

For the previous Open Call, UKS received 450 applications of which three artists were selected to develop solo projects. The high number of applicants necessarily limits the time spent on assessing each application. Hence, keep in mind that your application will be reviewed swiftly. Please make your application as concise and clear as possible.

UKS’ Open Call is judged by the UKS jury, which for this edition consists of UKS’ director together with four members of the UKS board, all of whom are active artists. The board is chosen by members at UKS’ annual assembly.

 

HOW TO APPLY

The application deadline is October 25th, 1pm (Oslo time).

The application must be sent digitally.

Everyone, regardless of gender, sexuality, class, ethnicity, or age is invited to apply for this part of UKS’ 2022–23 program. Please note that the open call focuses on emerging and experimental artistic practices, as formulated under The UKS program and jury process. The call is not restricted to Norwegian citizens nor UKS members.

 

The application must include:

• A description of the artistic practice, max. 4,000 characters
• A portfolio including max. 20 images collated in one PDF. (The portfolio should show a breadth of work while also pointing to the direction taken over recent years.)
• A CV of max. 2 pages as PDF
• A summary description of the artistic practice, max. 700 characters

 

Practical information:

• It is strongly advised for applicants to submit material in good time in case of any technical problems.
• Please note that the individual file size of the uploaded documents cannot exceed 6MB.
• Accepted artists will, per UKS’ standards, receive a production budget as well as an exhibition fee.
• Applications can be submitted in Norwegian, English, Danish, or Swedish.
• Questions can be addressed by email to application@uks.no.

 

ABOUT UKS

UKS (Unge Kunstneres Samfund / Young Artists’ Society) is an Oslo-based institution for contemporary art and a Norwegian membership organization. Founded by artists for artists in 1921, it has since established itself as one of Norway’s core experimental venues for the arts; convening, exhibiting, and supporting critical voices of contemporary artists, with the objective of having both an artistic and political impact within and beyond its region.

UKS’ new exhibition space will be situated on Keysers Gate 1 in Oslo’s city center. UKS is a non-profit organization with the Arts Council Norway as its principal funder.