172nd Annual Open Exhibition: Meet the Invited Selectors and Invited Artists

172nd Annual Open Exhibition: Meet the Invited Selectors and Invited Artists

Our Annual Open Exhibition is one of the UK’s most prestigious open-submission exhibitions, welcoming artists at all stages of their careers. Now in its 172nd year, this highly anticipated event provides a platform for emerging and established artists to exhibit and sell their work in our stunning Grade II*-listed galleries.  

Our selection panel takes on the enormous responsibility of deciding which submitted works will be chosen for and exhibited in the Annual Open Exhibition.  The panel consisting of external and internal selectors has wide-ranging artistic backgrounds, this experience enables them to collectively curate an exhibition that represents and celebrates the creative talents within the contemporary artistic community.

Each year we invite an artist to exhibit work their work as part of the Annual Open exhibition. Invited artists are people who are making waves in their field - creating exceptional work. 

Meet the invited selectors

External Selector, Harold Offeh

Harold Offeh is an artist working in a range of media including performance, video and social arts practice. Offeh is interested in the space created by the inhabiting or embodying of histories. He has exhibited widely including: Tate Britain; South London Gallery; Wysing Art Centre; Studio Museum Harlem, New York; MAC VAL, France and Art Tower Mito, Japan. His forthcoming solo exhibition will open at Kettle's Yard, Cambridge in November 2025.

External Selector, David Trigg

David Trigg is a writer, critic and art historian based in Bristol. He has written widely on contemporary art for books and journals, including Studio International, Art Quarterly, The Art Newspaper, ArtReview and Art Monthly. He is the author of Money in Art (HENI, 2024) and Reading Art (Phaidon, 2018)

Meet the invited Artist

Invited Artist, Maria Lalić 

Central to Maria Lalić’s three areas of painting is colour: with material in the ‘Colour and Metal’ paintings, with time in the ‘History Paintings’ and with place in the ‘Landscape Paintings’. She lives and works in the West Country and her work can be found in major collections including Tate and the V&A

 

Internal selectors: Internal selectors are RWA Academicians

  • Fiona Robinson PRWA 
  • Hamish Young VPRWA 
  • Ros Cuthbert MA (RCA) RWA
  • Anna Gillespie RWA 
  • Jemma Gunning RWA

 

The 172 Annual Open Exhibition is sponsored by Hive Financial Planning