KEY DATES

Submission deadline: 17 February 2026 (23:59)

Selections announced: 20 February 2026

Artist confirmation + install contribution due: 24 Feb 2026 (17:00)

Artwork drop-off: 27 February – 2 March 2026

Install: 3 – 5 March 2026

Exhibition open: 6 – 16 March 2026

Collection / deinstall: 17 – 18 March 2026 (or by arrangement)

UNAPOLOGETIC is an exhibition about refusing the reflex to shrink. About unlearning the polite little apology that shows up before our ideas, our bodies, our boundaries, our ambition, our anger, our joy. It’s a refusal of the social conditioning that teaches so many of us to soften our voice, make ourselves “easy,” and take up less room, physically, emotionally, creatively, politically.

This exhibition centres women and the female experience in all its contradiction and complexity. Artists of any identity are invited to respond, through solidarity, reflection, collaboration, accountability, care, and imagination. Unapologetic isn’t a personality type.

It’s a practice. A daily act of reclaiming space, on the street, in the studio, at the table, on the page, in history. We’re looking for work that speaks to visibility, rights, safety, autonomy, lineage, labour (paid and unpaid), protest, pleasure, mentorship, silence and speaking, being believed, being interrupted, being underestimated, and the everyday heroism of continuing anyway.

Tender or loud. Funny or furious. Intimate or public. You don’t have to scream to be unapologetic.

All media welcome: painting, print, drawing, photography, film, sound, sculpture, textiles, performance, installation, digital work, and anything hybrid.

How to submit

Email: exhibitionbas@gmail.com

Subject line: UNAPOLOGETIC submission – [Your Name]

Please include:

3–5 images per artwork (or links for video/sound)

Title / year / medium / size (H × W × D)

Short statement (max 120 words): how it connects to UNAPOLOGETIC

Price (or “NFS”) + edition info (if applicable)

Any installation requirements (plinth, projector, speakers, wall fixings, etc.)

Your name + contact details

You may submit up to 3 works. Due to space, we may select 1–2 per artist.

Terms and conditions:

Install contribution: If your work is selected, there is a £10 contribution per confirmed artist, payable once we confirm selection.

Sales and commission: Works may be for sale or not for sale.

Roper Gallery commission is 20% on sales processed through the exhibition.

Presentation standards: Work must be exhibition-ready.

2D work: please provide secure fixings (e.g., D-rings + wire).

3D work: must be stable; plinth availability is limited, flag needs early.

Tech-based work should be simple and robust (no constant babysitting).

Delivery and collection: Artists are responsible for delivery and collection within the stated windows unless agreed otherwise.

Promo usage: By submitting, you grant permission for BAS/organisers to use images/video for promotion, press, social media, and documentation (always credited). Copyright stays with you.

Content notes: If your work includes themes that may need a content note (e.g., violence, abuse, self-harm, explicit sexual content), please flag this so we can present it responsibly.

Selection: Selection is based on curatorial fit, quality, feasibility, and overall balance across media and voices. Not all submissions can be accepted.

Sponsor call: We’re seeking local business sponsors to help fund free holiday creative activities and workshop places for children and low-income families, plus wider access initiatives during the exhibition period.

Email: exhibitionbas@gmail.com to request our sponsorship package.