Organizer Information
Founded in 2001, the Centre for Research in the Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities (CRASSH) at the University of Cambridge is one of the world’s foremost centers for interdisciplinary scholarship. Over the past 25 years, CRASSH has built an extraordinary ecosystem, supporting more than 5,800 events, 35 major research projects, 100 research networks, and over 500 global fellows. The center functions as an intellectual bridge, initiating vital structural connections between academic research, public policy, major cultural institutions, and wider public life.
Title & Description
CRASSH 25th Anniversary Exhibition: Knowledge in a Fractured World.
To mark its milestone quarter-century anniversary in 2026, CRASSH is launching a flagship interdisciplinary program and international open call for art. The exhibition examines how knowledge is produced, contested, and translated into meaningful action during an era defined by deep political polarization, technological disruption, environmental crises, and shifting global power dynamics. The project explores the dual nature of knowledge—how it can be weaponized to entrench existing social fractures, or conversely, deployed to imagine more just futures, spark cross-border solidarity, and generate collective action.
Selected works will be integrated into a curated presentation mapping the center's research community alongside international contemporary artists. The physical exhibition will be mounted within the bustling corridors of the Alison Richard Building (ARB) on the University of Cambridge campus.
Exhibition Space & Display Logistics:
Before finalizing proposals, artists must note that the Alison Richard Building is not a traditional, isolated "white cube" gallery, but an active, multi-story academic hub with a high daily footfall of students, researchers, and families. The structural display parameters are configured as follows:
- Hanging Parameters: The walls are adapted for works that can be hung via an existing tracking rail system, or lightweight assets that can be secured directly using damage-free adhesive command strips. Drilling or fixing heavy anchoring hardware into the masonry is strictly prohibited.
- Three-Dimensional Works: Sculptures and 3D objects are accepted but must fit comfortably within the spatial constraints of a standard ground-floor protective plinth, measuring a maximum volume of 60 x 60 x 60 cm.
- Time-Based Media Support: The venue provides on-site iMac display nodes equipped to stream video, short films, or audio/sound art installations.
- Exclusions: The building cannot accommodate complex freestanding environmental installations, works suspended from balconies/bannisters, or experimental pieces requiring daily staff assistance or technical reboots.
Categories
Visual Arts, Painting / Drawing, Sculpture, Photography, New Media / Film / Video, Sound Art, and Mixed Media.
Eligibility
- Global Scope: Open to contemporary visual artists, filmmakers, sound designers, and creative thinkers worldwide.
- Career Milestones: Welcomes practitioners at any stage of their creative trajectory, from emerging student voices to established international figures.
- Submission Limits: Artists may submit a maximum of two (2) distinct artworks for curatorial review.
- Content Restrictions: Because of the public, diverse nature of the academic setting, all submitted works must be conceptually appropriate for a general family audience.
Program Benefits and Artist Perks
- Cambridge Institutional Showcase: Presentation within a high-profile anniversary catalog and a physical group exhibition at the University of Cambridge running for over two months.
- Zero Commission Sales: Selected artworks may be offered for sale during the exhibition run. CRASSH does not take any percentage or gallery commission on sales; 100% of all purchase proceeds go directly to the artist.
- Scholarly Cross-Pollination: Direct entry into CRASSH's international anniversary network, positioning your practice alongside prominent global scholars, writers, policy-makers, and activists.
Fees
- Application Fee: None (Completely free to enter).
- Financial Model: Self-funded. Logistics, including round-trip artwork shipping, transport insurance, travel expenses to Cambridge, and custom framing, are the sole financial responsibility of the participating artist.
How to Apply?
Submissions must be handled through the official Google Forms interface. Applicants must input personal background data, select material mediums, upload high-resolution image sheets, and supply secure video or audio screening links. Apply to the CRASSH 25th Anniversary Exhibition.
Key Dates
- Application Deadline: Friday, July 31, 2026.
- Laureate Notification Window: End of August 2026 (Only selected artists will be contacted directly by the curatorial committee).
- Exhibition Run: October 5 – December 11, 2026 (Michaelmas Term).
Location
United Kingdom, Cambridge
Additional Details
The review process is overseen by an independent curatorial board appointed by the University of Cambridge, prioritizing visual quality, thematic relevance to "Knowledge in a Fractured World," and structural suitability within a busy educational environment. If you are uncertain whether the explicit or conceptual nature of your artwork aligns with the family-audience requirement of the space, please reach out to the project managers directly for an informal baseline confirmation before locking your entry.