The British Council is delighted to invite UK institutions to nominate their Alumni to participate in the Study UK Showcase 2024 from 16 August to 30 September 2024 at the British Council Delhi, India. This showcase forms part of the Best of British exhibition, a series of events celebrating the best of UK Art and Design. The exhibit is expected to attract 25,000 visitors this year, including senior stakeholders and the public. It also offers a platform for the selected alumni to present their achievements. The theme for the showcase this year will be Study UK Creative Connections.

Celebrating the diverse creative talents of the UK Alumni, the showcase encourages submissions of original artwork in various media. Accepted formats include 2D and 3D artworks such as painting, photography, printmaking, collage, textiles/fibre, installation, drawing, book designs and more.

This exhibit is a unique opportunity for UK alumni to display their work, show how their education in the UK formed their creative careers and inspire future generations to reach for their dreams in the creative sector.

UK higher education institutions are encouraged to share information about this exhibit on creativity connections with their alumni and promote calls within their alumni network. 

This is a great opportunity for UK institutions to raise their profile and demonstrate student outcomes to a large Indian audience. It also offers a platform for the selected alumni to present their achievements.

Themes:

• Art and craft (multi-media artwork, photography, paintings etc)
• Design (fashion, book, graphic etc)

Visual art in this context will mean any two-dimensional artwork including drawings, paintings (in any medium) and photographs.

* The work will be displayed in the gallery of the British Council's Delhi office and will be credited to the artist. We will also include a short narrative on the work as provided by the artist.

Venue: British Council, 17 Kasturba Gandhi Marg, New Delhi 110001

Exhibition Dates: August 16 - September 30, 2024

Benefits for UK Institutions

• Opportunity to raise your profile through direct involvement in one of the largest British-themed events of the year in Delhi which is expected to attract over 25,000 visitors.
• Platform to showcase your top alumni’s achievements and graduate outcomes - visitors will be senior stakeholders, public and high-value Indian individuals who are interested in understanding UK culture, education, lifestyle, fashion, and technology.
• Exhibits will be featured in promotional activity on a range of social media platforms.
• Opportunity to raise awareness of the UK  higher education sector.
• Inspire young minds on the UK’s incredible reputation in the Arts and Culture and how a UK education can help achieve one’s dreams

Criteria:

To qualify for the exhibit kindly send the following:

• Images of the artwork.
• Provide a narrative of the work you are proposing to submit (in max. 250 words) in response to the theme - *Study UK Creative Connections *. The description should include an artistic response to the theme and details of the work itself, including title, technique, and proposed size of the work.
• A brief profile (250 words) showing experience.

Deadline for submission – 26 July 2024

Additional Information

• Shortlisted alumni will be invited to a virtual call to pitch their artwork.
• The selected work will need to be submitted by 2 August 2024.
• The selected alumni (approx. 10) will have the opportunity to show their work through an exhibition.
• The selected work will also get promoted on British Council’s social media platforms between August – September 2024.
• Selected UK Alumni will be provided with an exhibition space free of charge. The British Council will discuss specific display requirements (eg. size) with all selected alumni those exhibits selected.
• Please note, that participating alumni will need to cover transportation and insurance costs for their selected exhibits.

* Please note: Unfortunately, we are only able to respond to shortlisted candidates. If you do not hear back from us by 31 July, please assume that your application has been unsuccessful at this time.

The application form can be found here.

Please read the submission guidelines:

• All artwork must be accompanied by a completed entry form as per the timelines.
• All alumni have to be registered on Alumni UK
• Your name must be securely attached to each work.
• Only one item will be accepted.
• Work must be original. Photomechanical reproductions or photocopies of works originally conceived and executed in another medium are not acceptable unless part of a completely new work (eg. collage).
• All wall works must be ready to hang. This means each work must be mounted and/or framed with hanging wire and screw eyes, or other appropriate hanging means. Submissions that do not meet this requirement will not be accepted.
• Accepted work must remain on exhibit for the duration of the exhibition dates.
• The Gallery is not responsible for any damage or loss. Every possible precaution will be taken to secure works but there will be no insurance coverage for this exhibition.
• All artwork to be picked up post-exhibition between 7 October to 11 October from 9 am – 5 pm. If you are unable to pick up your artwork during these times, please contact Himani Taneja at himani.taneja@britishcouncil.org to make other arrangements. The British Council will not be responsible for artwork left unclaimed beyond 11 October.

Selection process

Exhibits will be selected based on their visual impact, degree of innovation, and potential for visitor interaction and learning.

The focus should be on:

• Interactivity of artwork
• Social impact, messages showcased
• Creativity and Technical proficiency