Open Call

We invite artists who work primarily with the pencil in drawing, abstraction or experimental forms.

This exhibition will explore the expressive power of the pencil, a tool so ordinary it is often overlooked, yet capable of holding memory, emotion, and thought.

Long before written language, humans marked stone walls not with words, but with lines. These early gestures, made with sticks and stones, carried feeling and reverence. In the absence of brushes or color, the hand found expression in what it could hold.

From Renaissance studies of light and form to contemporary sketches that trace fleeting thoughts, the pencil has remained quietly central. It is a medium of process, revision, and uncertainty. Pressed lightly, erased, and redrawn, it speaks in tremors and silences, carrying what we cannot quite say with words.

We are looking for works that embrace this spirit. This exhibition will invite us to rediscover the simplest tools, and the artists who find depth within them.

Sometimes, the simplest tools say the most. A single pencil is enough.

  • Exhibition Dates: 4–12 September 2025
  • Venue: Tradestars Islington, London N7 9EY
  • Submission Deadline: 11 August 2025
  • Notification Date: 14 August 2025
  • Selected works will be available through Tradestars Islington’s sales programme

We welcome:

  • All pencil-based genres, beyond conventional drawing
  • Traditional or experimental approaches
  • Works on paper or other surfaces
  • Artists at any stage of their career, UK-based or international

Submission Guidelines:

  • Up to 5 works per artist
  • Submit high-resolution images (JPG/PNG), including title, dimensions, year
  • Include a short artist statement

Fee Information: There is no application or participation fee.

All selected works must be delivered to the venue on the designated installation day. Shipping will not be arranged by the organisers.

Deadline: 11 August 2025, 11:59 PM