Joy Open Exhibition
Selected artists
Gallery 1
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We are delighted to announce that East Quay will be hosting our second Open Exhibition in Watchet, in Autumn 2026. We are inviting artists from Somerset and further afield to submit works which explore and reflect on the theme of ‘Joy’.

An independent panel of judges will select artworks for the exhibition based on the theme, and the works will be on display in Gallery 1 at East Quay from Saturday 19 September 2026 – Sunday 31 January 2027.There will be an opportunity to win a range of prizes worth £1,000 each, including the Audience Favourite Award, as voted for by visitors during the course of the show.

ABOUT THE THEME – Joy

Joy & wonder is one of our core themes for programming over the coming few years. This call is intentionally not prescriptive, and we welcome your interpretation.

What does joy mean to you? What brings joy? How does it take shape in your body, your practice, your relationships, or your connection to place? Is joy fleeting or sustaining, quiet or defiant, private or collective? Where does joy live in everyday life, and how can it be cultivated, protected, shared, or re-imagined?

How might joy function as an act of resistance in the face of exhaustion, injustice, precarity, or erasure – and what does it mean to choose joy deliberately, as a radical and relational act? How might joy sit alongside grief, uncertainty, or complexity rather than in opposition to them? Is it personal or political, tender or transformative?

We welcome artistic responses that consider how joy is found, interrupted, reclaimed, or made together.
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SELECTION PROCESS‍

The Joy Open Exhibition will be judged by an independent panel of adjudicators made up of artists, curators and industry professionals, with a shared knowledge of a range of art practices. This year, the panel is made up of Matt Burrows (Programme Curator of Exeter Phoenix Gallery, Devon), Rocca Holly-Nambi (Director of b-Side arts organisation, Isle of Portland) and Morag Myerscough (Artist &Designer, based in London).

LIST OF EXHIBITING ARTISTS

‍Abigail Evans | Andrew Davey | Angela Newbold | Angelica Vanasse | Anita Davis | Anna Holm | Balázs Sárkány | Ben Sanderson | Bichen Liu | Cameron Lings | Catherine Heard | Chantelle Henocq | Christy Burdock | Clare Hepworth-Wain | Cosima Bucarelli |  Elizabeth Day | Ella Rees | Ellie Wong | Emma Fisher | Emma Hopton | Famiya Khan | Faye Pearson Jones | Frea Buckler | Georgina Towler | Gina May Selene | Harry Borden | Hazel Barron | Helen Freeman | Holly Passmore | Hope Mahlich | James Bristow | Jenny Graham | Jenny Keogh | Jessica Akerman | Jessie Blindell | Jo Ball | Karla Kurz | Louise Bradley | Lucy Merlin Aykroyd | Lyn Barlow | Matthew Ensor | Milly Aburrow | Naomi Frears | Nick Johnson | Olivia Parsons | Polly Kelsall | Qingran Liu | Rose Davey | Sally Hebeler | Sarah Toraven | Sarah Ward | Sheena Vallely | Shengdi Cui | Susannah Crook | Tatiana Fetisova | Toni Davey | Vanessa Clegg | Ziyi Yan| Zoe Snape

PRIZES

- Judges’ Favourite - £1000
The winner of this prize will be chosen by our selection panel, based on their response to the theme of joy. Winner to be announced at the Opening Party.

- Student/Under 25s Prize - £1000
This prize is for artists in full or part-time education and/or aged under 25, and will be chosen by the selection panel. Winner to be announced at the Opening Party.‍

- Audience Favourite Award - £1000
The winner of this prize will be voted for by visitors during the course of the show. Winner to be announced upon closure of the exhibition in early 2027.

Thank you to all artists for sharing the joy!