Salon
des Refusés

The exhibition of the rejected · Arclite House, Swindon

$Poster image for Salon des Refus\u00e9s$

In 1863 the Paris Salon rejected thousands of paintings. So the rejected artists hung their own show down the road and called it the Salon des Refusés.

It turned out to contain the future of art. We are doing ours in Swindon.

Bring us your dearest rejects

The photograph never published by a magazine. The painting you love that doesn't fit in with one of your collections. The sculpture that went boom in the kiln. The one you never showed anybody, because you decided for them.

Can you relate to any of the following?

You have been rejected so many times you stopped counting
You never applied because you assumed it wasn't for people like you
Your work has been called too weird, too rough, too much, or not proper art
You make things constantly and nobody has ever seen them
You never share it because you compare it to everyone else's

No permission needed.

Any medium. 18 and over. Anything you made because you had to make it.

Tell us the story

Send us the work, and send us the little tale behind it. Who said no? Was it a gallery, a magazine, a kiln that had other ideas, or was it you?

The stories will be shown alongside the work. That is the whole point of this one: the rejection is not the embarrassing bit to leave out, it is the exhibition. A rejection you gave yourself counts. Most of us have more of those than we do letters.

A line is enough. A paragraph is welcome.

The rules, kept short

Submit up to three works

Send us up to three pieces. We choose one of them to hang in the show.

Any medium, including photography and digital

Painting, drawing, sculpture, textile, print, photography, digital art. If you made it, it counts.

You print and frame your own work

Photography and digital pieces must be printed and framed by you, ready to hang. We will help where we can.

Eighteen and over

Entrants must be 18 or older. Your date of birth is never shown or published.

Exhibiting terms come after selection

The full terms that go with exhibiting, including anything about sales, will be sent to selected artists within one week of the open call closing. Entering now commits you to nothing. If the terms do not suit you, you can withdraw your work.

Made by a human, or not at all.

No AI-generated images. This is a show of work made by hand and by heart, by people the machine could never replace. That is the whole point of us.

Pay what you can

Enter for whatever you can manage

Your entry contribution covers opening night, refreshments and getting the word out. Whatever you can manage is right. If that is nothing right now, enter anyway. Nobody is turned away over money.

Make your contribution

Card payment, choose any amount from £1. Or skip it and just enter.

Enter the show

Entry

Salon des Refusés entry

Artist or display name

What we should call you. For example SLART, or Jane Doe.

A few lines about you and the work

There are no wrong answers.

The story behind it

Who said no? A gallery, a magazine, a kiln with other ideas, or you? A rejection you gave yourself counts. A line is enough. This will be shown alongside your work.

Rough size(s) of your work

Approximate is fine, e.g. 40 x 50 cm.

Is the work for sale?

Yes, no, or some of it. Optional.

Where are you based?

Your email (kept private)

So we can reach you about your entry. Never shown or published.

Your date of birth

Entrants must be 18 or over. Never shown, never published.

Permission

This is my own work, made by hand, not AI-generated. Studio BRUT may show it and contact me about the exhibition.

Deadline Wednesday 16 September 2026. Selected artists contacted by email.

The full exhibiting terms, including anything relating to sales, will be shared with selected artists within one week of the call closing. Entering places you under no obligation to exhibit.