The Cob Award is designed to offer early-mid-career artists of any age and nationality an opportunity to develop their artistic practice and realise ambitious projects within our contemporary London art gallery. Award winners will receive £6,000 to produce a new body of work, access to a bespoke on-site studio space, six-weeks of professional development through curated studio visits with Cob’s extensive network and a final presentation of their work within the gallery.

 Each residency cycle will run for six weeks and consist of one artist selected by an esteemed judging panel.

• Award winners will receive £6,000 to facilitate the production of a new body of work and cover additional expenses incurred with participating in the residency (this includes travel and accommodation - where needed)
• 500 sq.ft bespoke on-site studio space in the heart of the gallery.
• Six-weeks' worth of professional development, including overview mentorship with the gallery team.
• Studio visits from a selection of high-profile art world professionals, including curators, writers, collectors alike.  
• Industry advice and seminars with public art figures, including established artist, writers and institutions. 
• An opportunity to connect with the wider artistic community, through artist-led studio crits. 
• Professional documentation of the work for future use by the artists.
• Final presentation within the gallery at the end of the residency. Running 1 week with an opening event. 
• Written interview with Brooke Wilson, writer, curator and Programme Coordinator. 
• Support with writing, artists statements and online presence. 
• Outreach to press - promotion on website and social media platforms
• All works made during the residency will be consigned through Cob Gallery – terms to be agreed upon selection.

Applications are welcomed from early-mid career artists of any age and nationality, with or without formal training, though not in formal education. All styles of practice are considered, including painting, sculpture, installation, site-specific, performance and video work. A minimum of three years of exhibiting experience is expected and all applicants must be committed to embracing all aspects of the award and actively participate in all events associated.

Submissions are due no later than 24 March 2023 5pm GMT exclusively by email: [email protected]

All applicants will be notified by email by 14 April 2023. 

Francesca Gavin, Curator and writer, Editor-in-chief of Epoch Review 

Francesca Gavin is an editor, author and curator. She is the Editor-in Chief of biannual publication EPOCH, which looks at the intersection of history and contemporary culture. She is also a contributing editor at Financial Times HTSI Magazine, Twin and Beauty Papers, and has written ten books on visual culture. She co-curated the Manifesta11 biennial, as well as exhibitions at the Palais de Tokyo, Somerset House and Fondação Serralves. She was the founding curator of the Soho House Group collection, creating a collection of over 3000 works internationally. Her monthly radioshow Rough Version on NTS.live looks at the intersection of art and music and has been running for over six years. 

Hanna Girma, Senior Editor and Curator of Editorial Projects at Serpentine Galleries

Hanna Girma is a London based writer and curator. She is currently Senior Editor and Curator of Editorial Projects at Serpentine. Prior to this role, she held positions at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Studio Museum in Harlem and the Mistake Room, Los Angeles. She has a B.A. in World Arts and Cultures and Digital Humanities from UCLA. 

Josef O’Connor, Founder & Artistic Director at CIRCA 

Josef O’Connor is a British-Irish artist, curator and founder of The Cultural Institute of Radical Contemporary Arts (CIRCA) - an art and culture platform based in London’s Picadilly Circus. Founded in October 2020, CIRCA commission and stream a monthly public art and culture programme, every evening at 20:23 across a global network of landmark billboards. Driven by purpose, funds generated from artist print sales enable the #CIRCAECONOMY – a circular model that supports the CIRCA free public art programme whilst also creating life-changing opportunities for a global creative community. Since launching in October 2020 on London’s iconic Piccadilly Lights, CIRCA has distributed over £500,000 in cash grants, scholarships and donations. Exhibited artists have included; Ai Weiwei, Anne Imhof, David Hockney, Yoko Ono, Patti Smith, Laure Prouvost, Alvaro Barrington, Marina Abramović and Douglas Gordon.

Elizabeth Neilson, Curator, and Director Zabludowicz Collection

Elizabeth Neilson is a contemporary art professional,curator and strategist with over twenty years of experience in UK art institutions. Specialisms include the impact on technology on art and nurturing early career artists. Since 2006 she has been Director of the Zabludowicz Collection. Overseeing the strategy, acquisitions and commissions for one of the world’s most risk taking and ground-breaking contemporary art collections. She is also co-director of Pangaea Sculptors Centre, an organisation that seeks to support nurture and develop artists working with sculpture through mentoring, fabrication, education, commissioning opportunities and public events. She is a Trustee of Hospital Rooms, an Arts and Mental Health Charity whose mission is to bring world class art into Mental Health Hospitals.

Please ensure the following information is saved as one PDF Document (max. 15 pages, 15MB) with the file name: NAME_SURNAME_COB_AWARD

• A motivation letter - outlining your reasons for applying for The Cob Award and what you hope to gain from the experience (max. 500 words)
• A description of the project you propose to undertake during the residency. This should outline the projects details and give contextual background/research of the proposal. (max. 1000 words, or 5 annotated mock-up sketches)
• Portfolio of artistic work (max. 10 pages) 
• Up-to-date Artist CV

Please state if any accessibility requirements are needed in your application.