About Hotel Generation
Hotel Generation mentors the next generation of UK digital artists during the critical early stages of establishing a career in the arts. The development programme selects 4 young digital artists and pair them with a mentor to receive online curatorial guidance as they work on an exhibition proposal for arebyte's exhibition space. The skills-focused programme culminates in a solo exhibition at arebyte Gallery for one of the 4 participants, selected by a panel of leading experts from the new media art sector. Hotel Generation aims to equip participants with the confidence to approach galleries, crafting clear exhibition proposals, managing timelines and budgets.
8th Edition: The Body, The Mind, The Soul
We seek an initial 250-word work proposal that engages with the theme The Body, The Mind, The Soul, offering a critical explorations of the human experience in the digital age, investigating how technology can impact our physical existence or shape our mental and philosophical dimensions.
Programme Benefits and Opportunities
● 5 online curatorial sessions with your mentor in April, May and June 2025
● 2 online production sessions with the arebyte team in April and May 2025
● Weekend in London (accommodation and travel costs covered on the 2nd and 3rd of May 2025)
● £1,000 stipend to develop your proposal, experiment with material, equipment or software
● A fully funded solo show to realise your proposal if you are selected by the judging panel
Mentors
Zaiba Jebbar (London)
Curator & Founder
HERVISIONS
Aisling Murray (Dublin)
Founder & Director
Beta Festival
Bi Xin (Shanghai & Manchester)
Curator, Writer & Director of International Programs Chronus Art Center
Giorgio Vitale (Berlin)
Curator, Technologist & Founder
Synthesis Gallery
Programme Timeline
✷10th March 2025: Open Call Deadline
✷19th March 2025: Participants Announcement
✷ 7th - 11th April 2025: Mentoring Sessions 1
✷ 21st - 25th April 2025: Mentoring Sessions 2
✷ 2nd - 3rd May 2025: Weekend in London
✷ 4th - 10th May 2025: Mentoring Sessions 3
✷ 19th - 23rd May 2025: Mentoring Sessions 4
✷ 26th - 30th May 2025: Mentoring Sessions 5
✷ 16th June 2025: Exhibition Proposal Submission
✷ 6th June 2025: Final Winner Announcement
✷ Sept, Oct, Nov, Dec 2025: Project Development
✷ 19th Feb - 21 April 2026: Solo show at arebyte
Eligibility Criteria
✷ 18 - 28 year olds
✷ Emerging digital artist
✷ Living in the UK
✷ Not currently enrolled at universities
✷ Attend the London weekend on 2nd - 3rd May 2025
Access Needs
When you apply, we ask you about any access needs you may have during the programme. If you would like to apply in alternative formats, please email opencall@arebyte.com. We've designed this call-out with accessibility in mind, and welcome open discussions and feedback on how we can enhance accessibility further.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I apply more than once with several project proposals?
We only accept one submission per artist. If you submit 2 proposals we will only review the one which was submitted earlier.
I’m in a collective, can we apply together?
Unfortunately not, we can only accept applications from individual artists.
I am 28 years old but will turn 29 during the development programme, can I still apply?
Yes, at the time of submission, applicants must be 28 or under.
I am completing my education and will have graduated by the time of the exhibition period. Can I still apply?
On this occasion, unfortunately not. Our focus is on providing support and guidance to artists who may not have access to such resources outside of an educational context.
What do you mean by digital artists?
We define digital artists as practitioners who work with digital technologies, whose outcomes can manifest as websites, computer games, CGI, screen based and projection, AI, generative art, augmented reality, virtual reality, video, digital performance, on-chain experiments, 3D printing, motion capture, and numerous other innovative digital practices.
What do you mean by emerging artists?
We define an emerging artist as someone who is in the early stage of their career, who has yet to receive a major exhibition and has not had extensive media coverage for their work.
How should my exhibition proposal align with the theme of The Body, The Mind, and The Soul?
In your Open call Proposal, we invite you to propose work for a solo exhibition that revolves around The Body, The Mind, and The Soul. For instance, you could interrogate the bodily aspect of the theme, including ideas like the interface between physicality and virtuality, or explore empathy and understanding of technology from a bodily and immersive perspective, or the body as a machine in embedded wearables or body modifications that extend our sensory perception.
You might investigate the mind through research areas like the expansion of our virtual self, the digitalisation of consciousness, narrative-building beyond sentience, physical and digital support systems or human and non-human entities.
Alternatively, you could focus on concepts surrounding the soul in the digital domain, contemplating ideas like ethereal essence beyond physicality, digital paths to immortality, memory preservation or animism.
You may want to combine various research elements across the body, mind and soul or explore other possible avenues relating to the theme. Please refer to our curatorial programme text for further information and references.
When will I hear back once I submit my open call proposal?
Successful applicants will be notified within 10 working days of the open call deadline. Unfortunately, due to the high number of submissions, we will not be able to provide feedback to unsuccessful applications.
What is expected of me if my exhibition proposal is selected by the panel of judges?
If you win hotel generation, you have the opportunity to realise your proposal for a solo exhibition at arebyte.
Judging Panel
◆ Hannah Andrews
Director of Digital Innovation in the Arts
British Council, London
◆ Annka Kultys
Founder & CEO
Annka Kultys Gallery, London
◆ Maitreyi Maheshwari
Head of Programme
FACT, Liverpool
◆ William Latham
Professor
Computing Department Goldsmiths, University of London
◆ Nimrod Vardi
Creative Director
arebyte, London
Testimonials from Past Participants
“Working with the team at arebyte gave me the confidence to be experimental and ambitious with my ideas, pushing my practice forward and opening up new opportunities.”
“It was the first time I’ve been able to work closely with a curator, and have the support to make an exhibition exactly as I wanted it. The show at arebyte was my first solo exhibition in London and arebyte were a great gallery to work with!”