Organizer Information
The origins of the South London Gallery lie in the South London Working Men's College, established by William Rossiter in 1868, which evolved into a Free Library and Art Gallery. In 1891, the South London Fine Art Gallery opened at its current location on Peckham Road. The permanent site was partly secured thanks to fundraising by the Gallery's influential Council, which included Sir Frederic Leighton, Edward Burne-Jones, G. F. Watts, and Walter Crane.
With the appointment of David Thorp as Director in 1992, the Gallery came to be known as the South London Gallery, with a programme focused on contemporary art and showing work by internationally acclaimed artists such as Gilbert & George, Anselm Kiefer, and Sherrie Levine, as well as new, emerging artists such as Tracey Emin, Gavin Turk, and Ann Sofi-Sidén. In 2003, the SLG separated from Southwark Council to become an independent charitable trust managed by a Board of Trustees.
Today the gallery comprises its original site at 65 Peckham Road, the Fire Station at 82 Peckham Road (opened 2018), Art Block — a space for local children and families on Sceaux Gardens estate — and two permanent gardens. The South London Gallery is free and open Tuesday to Sunday, presenting contemporary art exhibitions, events, and education projects for children, young people, and adults. At the heart of the SLG's mission is providing opportunities for learning and participation, with communities and learning programmes that have evolved through long-term partnerships with local schools, Social Services, NHS providers, and community groups.
Title & Description
Emerging Curator Fellow — Deutsche Bank x Frieze Emerging Curators Fellowship at the South London Gallery
The South London Gallery is hosting the 2026 iteration of the Deutsche Bank x Frieze Emerging Curators Fellowship, a programme established in 2020 to address the significant lack of diversity in curatorial practice in the UK — the area of arts and heritage with the lowest proportion of Black and global majority professionals.
The Emerging Curator Fellow will undertake a 15-month, full-time, trainee-level placement at the South London Gallery, gaining comprehensive experience across all aspects of exhibitions and events work in a public institution, including research, programming, delivery, and archiving. The Fellow will support the work of the Programme Team and Director through administrative assistance while also receiving mentoring, dedicated time for curatorial research, and access to professional networks.
This fellowship is specifically designed to support Black and global majority heritage curators. It is a paid, full-time position with structured professional development, making it a significant entry-point opportunity for emerging curators from underrepresented backgrounds seeking sustained institutional experience in a leading contemporary art context.
The Role Overview
- Position Type: Full-time (35 hours per week)
- Contract Type: Fixed-term — 15 months
- Salary: £28,852
- Reports To: Head of Programme
- Department / Programme: Programme Team, Deutsche Bank x Frieze Emerging Curators Fellowship
- Working Hours: 35 hours per week; evening and weekend availability required (TOIL given)
- Work Model: On-site at South London Gallery, London
- Salary Progression: Appointments are made at the start of the salary scale, with annual pay progression based on satisfactory performance; pay scale reviewed annually in light of cost of living and operational budgets
Position & Tasks
Exhibitions & Curatorial Work
- Support Exhibition development, research, and delivery of temporary exhibitions
- Assist in coordinating artists, curators, and production teams
- Contribute to exhibition interpretation and written materials
- Support installation processes, including condition reporting and gallery checks
- Assist in production coordination with technical and registrar teams
Events & Public Programming
- Research and deliver exhibition tours and public talks
- Assist in planning and delivering public events and programming
- Support guest coordination, logistics, and audience engagement
- Contribute to the communication and documentation of events
Archive & Digital Work
- Assist with archive management and access systems
- Update digital exhibition records and website content
- Support image rights management and archival documentation
- Collaborate on digital storytelling and archival research projects
Administration
- Support financial administration and invoice processing
- Assist with scheduling, diaries, and internal coordination
- Track sector exhibitions and institutional programming
- Support reporting and internal documentation processes
Categories
- Curatorial Practice
- Contemporary Art
- Exhibition Making
- Arts Administration
- Diversity & Inclusion in the Arts
- Public Programming
- Archive & Collections
Eligibility
- The fellowship specifically supports Black and global majority heritage curators; this is a core eligibility criterion
- The source does not explicitly state a UK residency requirement; external programme documentation indicates the fellowship is intended for UK-based curators — applicants should confirm current eligibility terms at southlondongallery.org/jobs
- Interest in contemporary art and culture
- Strong written communication skills
- Experience of research
- Experience of financial administration
- Experience of public speaking with confident verbal communication
- Experience of event planning or delivery
- Excellent attention to detail in all aspects of work
- Ability to work on multiple projects simultaneously and meet deadlines
- Committed to personal development
- A demonstrable commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion
- Candidates meeting the majority of these criteria are encouraged to apply; all criteria need not be met to be considered
- The SLG particularly encourages applications from people from low-income backgrounds, Black, Asian and ethnically diverse backgrounds, and disabled people
Program Benefits
- Salary: £28,852 per annum
- Employer pension contribution: 6% of basic salary
- Annual leave: 26 days pro rata plus bank holidays, increasing after 5 years' service
- Union recognition with BECTU
- Discounts at the SLG's bookshop and café
- Access to discounts at a range of high street retailers and supermarkets
- Access to free and discounted events, including theatre, concerts, comedy, and sporting events
- Cycle to work scheme
- Wellbeing support: Employee Assistance Programme and trained Mental Health First Aiders
- Mentoring from the Director and Head of Programme
- Support with travel and research
- Access to professional networks through the SLG Curatorial and Development teams
- Opportunity to develop own curatorial research as part of the fellowship
- Time off in lieu (TOIL) for evening and weekend work
Application Fee
None
Application Requirements
- Completed application forms (downloaded from the SLG website)
- CV
- Cover letter
- Equal opportunities monitoring form (online submission)
How to Apply?
Download the Applicant Details Form and Application Form from https://www.southlondongallery.org/jobs/ and email both completed forms to recruitment@southlondongallery.org
Also, complete the anonymous equal opportunities monitoring form separately at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/F8LVGC2
Key Dates
- Application Deadline: 15 July 2026
- Information Session: 24 June 2026
- Programme Duration: 15 months
Location
London, United Kingdom
Additional Details
- The fellowship culminates in the development of a public activation supported by Frieze London, offering the Fellow an opportunity to realise an independent curatorial project within a major international art fair context — this detail is documented in the wider fellowship programme but is not specified in the source application pack; applicants should confirm this with the SLG
- The 2026 iteration is the sixth of the fellowship programme. Previous host institutions have included Chisenhale Gallery (London), BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art (Gateshead), The Whitworth Gallery (Manchester), V&A East (London), and Ikon Gallery (Birmingham).
- After interviews, where candidates are of equal merit, the SLG may select a candidate from a group underrepresented within its workforce
- If queries arise about the process or role, contact recruitment@southlondongallery.org
- Note: the Frieze programme website lists a deadline of 13 July 2026 for this fellowship; the source application pack states 15 July 2026, 12pm. Applicants should verify the correct date at southlondongallery.org/jobs before submitting