Odyssey
Open call to artists
Hastings Contemporary and Sussex Contemporary have partnered to launch our first Open exhibition.
This landmark collaboration will bring together emerging and established artists from across the region, celebrating all things Sussex. Spanning the entire gallery, the exhibition will celebrate the diversity, energy, and innovation of contemporary art today, offering a platform for bold voices and fresh perspectives.
The opportunity is open to any artist who is connected to Sussex through residence, birthplace, education, or work.
Theme: Odyssey
We invite artists to submit work that responds to the theme Odyssey. This theme reflects on journeys shaped by tides, time, and transformation, on the restless call of the sea and the stories it inspires. Hastings, a place long defined by its proximity to the coast, provides a fitting setting for such explorations.
We welcome work that resonates with our mission, engaging with marine ecology, climate change, and the fragile richness of coastal life. Odyssey may evoke many narratives: from ancient maritime myths to contemporary migration, from the eroding edges of land to intimate personal voyages, from legends carried by the waves to the shifting realities of rising seas.
Key dates
Submissions Open: Monday 13 October 2025
Submissions Close: Sunday 18 January 2026
Exhibition Opens: Saturday 28 March 2026
