England is a Forest

SUBMISSIONS ARE NOW OPEN for 2d artwork to be included in the upcoming exhibition ‘England is a Forest’ curated by Small Works Art Gallery at Sluice [Vernacular] Colchester, 2024. Please read the following for more details and submission guidelines.

Sluice [Vernacular] Colchester, 2024

Developed in partnership with We Are The Minories, Sluice [Vernacular] Colchester 2024 will feature exhibitions, performances, screenings and talks throughout Colchester town centre utilising cultural, municipal, and unoccupied commercial sites. Sluice 2024 is an aggregation of artist and curator-led and non-profit organisations and initiatives. The three day event will launch 13 June and take place 14,15,16 June 2024.

England is a Forest by Small Works Art Gallery (SWAG)

For this event, SWAG will be creating an illustrated forest of small paintings or drawings of trees from around England (and the wider UK) submitted through a free open call. We endeavour to accept all submissions as a democratic contrarian to the status quo of the traditional exhibition model. However, it is important to read the Submission Guidelines carefully before submitting work.

The artwork must represent an actual tree and be labelled with its geolocation, postcode or what3words, so that we may mark its territorial specificity on a map. We also ask that artists attempt to label the species of tree, if possible. See Submission form.

Taking inspiration from the Woodland Trust Ancient Tree Inventory, we will create a virtual and physical map of our illustrated forest. By casting a large net and accepting as many entries as possible, we not only maximise participation but also materialise the idea of a forest- from young hands to veteran artists, the level of skill would represent new and old growth woodlands. We will also expand the exhibition into an ever-growing forest through digital archiving as a virtual map and gallery.

Vernacular refers to a regional dialect, thought to be seen as of lower status than a more codified language. This exhibition reflects the theme by reaching out to individuals across diverse regions more as a celebration of a shared love of nature than a spotlight on a particular skillset. The shared vernacular of these disparate abilities and productions is in the language of trees and pride of place. Our  hope is that this is an opportunity for individuals to take time to closely engage with their environment and inspire the same in others.

Curator statement

Small Works Art Gallery is an artist-led curatorial platform led by Monica Perez Vega and Sylwia Narbutt. As artist-curators, we understand this project is experimental and takes a bit of risk and trust on the part of the artist. We are curiously excited by the gamble into the unknown and look forward to seeing the variety of work that will tumble through our post-box. Our mission is to fill the exhibition space at Sluice [Vernacular] Colchester 2024 with a wild and wonderful illustrated forest whilst simultaneously creating a virtual map and archive. We envision expanding this forest over time into future iterations of the project. If you have any questions, please email info@smallworksartgallery.com 

It is vital that with your artwork, you attach the SUBMISSION FORM. See link below.