This open call is now closed. Thanks to all who submitted!
Sun and Moon
An Open Call exhibition celebrating all things Pokémon.
‘Pikachu, Still’ (2016, Acrylic on canvas)
In celebration of Pokémon’s 20th anniversary, along with the arrival of Pokémon Sun and Moon, Sheffield based artists Michael Borkowsky and Damien Fisher are hosting a Pokémon themed open call exhibition at Mugen Teahouse, Sheffield, from 23rd November – 2nd December 2016. This is in line with Pokémon Sun and Moon’s release in the UK, which is on 23rd November.
Pokémon has been captivating and delighting audiences for 20 years this year. But beyond its cute façade lies a myriad of complexities: From themes of identity, travel, nature and relationships, to the implications of collecting, exploring and reaching a common goal, it seems that the narratives that exist within Pokémon can be applied to any art form.
So, with that in mind, our open call exhibition is looking to assess Pokémon from a contemporary art platform and will examine how the experiences within it can be pulled from their original context for further contemplation.
We’re looking for art work that extends our experience and knowledge of Pokémon beyond the realms of fan art and exposes how the themes within the franchise are applicable to our own lives.
Our exhibition will be a fun and intriguing celebration of Pokémon that might just alter people’s expectations of what Pokémon can be! We will be running events alongside the exhibition at the venue and there will be an opening event. Details will follow in due course.
If you’d like to be involved, get in touch! We’re looking for artists of any discipline, background or ability to submit work.
How to Submit
Artists may submit up to 3 pieces of work and all work must be no bigger than 1m in any given direction.
To submit work, please send an email to pokemonsheffield2016@gmail.com with the following:
Your name
Title of the piece(s)
Dimensions of the piece(s)
Up to 3 JPEG images of any given piece.
Price (if appropriate)
A statement of up to 100 words (if desired – this may be included as wall text in the exhibition)
If the work you intend to submit is performance based, we will accommodate you in allotted times over the course of the exhibition.
People wanting to submit Audio/visual work must bring their own equipment (TV, tablet etc.). There will be a limit to how many pieces of work of this nature we can accommodate. The exhibition will be manned at all times, but equipment will be left at your own risk. Artists may want to consider having their own insurance for their work.
If your work needs to be printed out then it is your responsibility to do so.
Venue
Mugen Tearooms is a specialist café and arts venue at The Hide, Scotland Street, Sheffield S3 7AA. Opening times are: 10-6, Tuesday – Friday; 10:30-4:30 Saturday.
The venue may be open at other times for special events over the course of the exhibition. Details of this will follow.
Dates
The deadline for submissions is Sunday 6th November at 11pm. Applicants will be notified as to whether they have been successful or not on Monday 7th November.
If your submission is successful, you will be notified of hand in and collection dates.
…Best of luck, Pokémon masters!
© 2016 Pokémon. © 1995–2016 Nintendo/Creatures Inc./GAME FREAK inc. Pokémon, Pokémon character names, are trademarks of Nintendo