Date Friday 30 January 2026
Overview
Application Deadline: Sunday, 1st March 2026, midnight
Calling all international students...
Submit your work for our exhibition open call to be showcased at ‘The Mosaic of Becoming’ in an external London gallery space.
This opportunity is open to all current international students studying at the University of the Arts London (UAL).
Key dates
Application Deadline: Sunday, 1st March 2026, midnight
Responses Sent: Week commencing 16th March 2026
Exhibition location: The Nunnery Gallery
Exhibition dates: The exhibition will open in the evening of the 23rd April and close on Friday, 1st May. Please note that the work you are applying with must be available for exhibition during these dates and the drop-off and collection dates below.
Artwork drop-off date: Monday, 21st April 2026, 10 am - 4 pm at the Arts SU office in the London College of Fashion
Artwork pick-up date: Tuesday, 5th May 2026, 10 am - 3 pm at The Nunnery Gallery
What is the opportunity?
We’re looking to showcase the work of UAL’s international student community in our exhibition ‘The Mosaic of Becoming’.
UAL is home to a richly diverse student body, where cultures, disciplines and creative language intersect every day. ‘The Mosaic of Becoming’ seeks to celebrate this diversity by bringing together works that reflect how students’ experiences of belonging, transformation and connection influence and inform their creative journeys.
We aim to provide an accessible first exhibition opportunity, especially for first and second-year students, who may not yet have had the chance to publicly showcase their work.
Rather than centring a single cultural narrative, the exhibition invites multiple voices to coexist. Forming a shared mosaic shaped by dialogue, experimentation and mutual learning.
We hope the exhibition will emphasise international students’ perspectives and serve as a welcoming space for all UAL students and gallery visitors to connect.
We are looking for work by International students, exploring themes and experiences of:
- Cultural transition, migration, or adaptation
- Identity formation within a global or cross-cultural context
- Feelings of belonging, displacement, or community
- A creative practice that helps you navigate change and growth
- Moments of connection, collaboration, or shared understanding
The work must already exist, and we cannot accept proposals for this opportunity. We welcome solo or group artworks and accept a wide range of media. Submissions can be anything from paintings, prints, poems, digital work, video work, zines, garments, recipes, and so on.
How to apply:
Skills you can gain from this opportunity
Just by applying to this opportunity, you will develop your transferable skills. It will build your application writing, articulating your aspirations, learning to evaluate your own work critically, understanding selection criteria and decision-making processes, demonstrating proactive behaviour and ambition, and learning to seek constructive feedback.
If selected for this opportunity, we hope you will develop your skills in:
- Cultural and Contextual Awareness
- Communication and Collaboration
- Career Readiness
Arts Programme Skills Recognition Framework
Who are we looking to support?
This opportunity is open to all International students across UAL's courses and colleges. At UAL, international students are mainly defined as those who need a Student Route visa to study in the UK. This includes students from the EU, EEA, and Switzerland who do not have special status under the EU Settlement Scheme. Because of this, they are usually not seen as home students when it comes to tuition fees.
We know that, unlike home students, the UK government's visa rules mean international students are unable to participate in all our opportunities. To ensure we offer an equal number of opportunities for both home and international students at UAL, this open call is for international students only. We strongly encourage all International Students, regardless of your course, to apply for this opportunity.
Visit Inter.work for ways to support the campaign to legally expand international students’ working rights.
Not an International Student?
More opportunities for students to showcase their work are open throughout the year, from our SU Project Spaces to our open calls. Keep an eye on our website for updates here: www.arts-su.com/opportunities/ or follow the Arts Programme team on Instagram: @madeinartslondon