35th Annual Open

Now in its 35th year, The Annual Open exists to encourage artists at all stages of their career from across the UK to submit their work as part of a large-scale annual salon show.

The Annual Open is a key date in Southwark Park Galleries’ calendar and welcomes over 300 works from artists of all backgrounds from across Southwark, London and the UK; with drawing, painting, photography, print, sculpture & video work represented.

To give you a bit of The Annual Open history, the gallery was started when the group of like-minded and ambitious artists’ in Bermondsey banded together to form the Bermondsey Artists’ Group and since being rejected from the Whitechapel Open Exhibition they were determined to find somewhere to exhibit their work under their own terms. In securing permission to use the old Cafe building in Southwark Park, as a gallery, the #1 Annual Open Exhibition happened here in 1984.

This tradition began at the very inception of the existence of the gallery and although the organisation has grown beyond recognition in many ways, this exhibition and resolve to keep it truly open, remains.

This year’s ‘Best in Show’ prize was selected by artist Jonathan Baldock. The joint winner will receive a cash prize of £250, generously donated by Breckman & Company.