Art Exchange Moving Image Programme 2026 for Sub-Saharan Africa Curators

Art Exchange Moving Image Programme 2026 for Sub-Saharan Africa Curators

Status: historical reference

The Art Exchange: Moving Image call for the Sub-Saharan Africa edition had a published deadline of 18 January 2026 at midnight GMT+2. That deadline has passed. The official programme website still hosts the call page and its application link, but the page does not announce a later deadline, a late-submission route, or a new Sub-Saharan Africa call. This entry is therefore a historical reference to the 2026 cycle, not an open application listing.

The official home page describes Art Exchange: Moving Image as a cross-cultural curatorial professional development and exhibition programme running from 2023–2027. It identifies the first editions and the upcoming Sub-Saharan Africa edition as distinct programme phases. The call archived here concerned the Sub-Saharan Africa edition delivered by Breinstorm Brand Architects together with IQOQO, with support from the British Council. No subsequent application cycle is announced on the official pages reviewed for this update, so readers should not turn the old form, requirements, or dates into a new application deadline.

This page preserves the useful details of the closed call: what the programme was designed to do, who could apply, what selected curators were expected to deliver, what support was described, and what the application required. It is useful for understanding the programme and preparing for a possible future announcement, but it does not confirm that applications are currently accepted.

At a glance

What Art Exchange: Moving Image was designed to do

The programme was not presented as a general artist grant or a stand-alone cash prize. The official description frames it as curatorial professional development combined with exhibition delivery. Its focus is moving image as a medium and the development of early- to mid-career visual arts curators working in Sub-Saharan Africa.

The programme’s stated aims were to build curatorial confidence, encourage critical dialogue, expand international networks, and help participants realise moving-image exhibitions in their local contexts. That combination explains why the call asked applicants to identify a proposed host venue before applying. A selected curator was expected to move from an initial idea through research, proposal development, and a public-facing exhibition rather than stopping at a written concept.

The official home page places the project within a wider 2023–2027 programme. It says the first editions were managed by LUX on behalf of the British Council and delivered with Guest Artists Space Foundation in Nigeria for the Sub-Saharan Africa edition and the Art South Asia Project for the South Asia edition. For the call recorded here, the home page names Breinstorm Brand Architects and IQOQO as the organisations delivering the upcoming Sub-Saharan Africa edition. The call page likewise describes British Council support and delivery by those two organisations.

What selected participants were offered

The official call did not publish a single fixed stipend or a universal cash award. Its support package had several parts, and the exhibition funding was expressly conditional.

Mentoring and professional development

Participants were to join an online programme with bespoke mentoring, professional development, and support from industry leaders. The call also described a peer cohort and networking across Sub-Saharan Africa and with artists and peers in the UK. These elements made the opportunity relevant to curators who wanted structured feedback, international exchange, and a route from research to public presentation.

Access to moving-image works

The programme offered access to moving-image works from the British Council Collection. Applicants were asked to explain how their proposed exhibition would work with invited artists or selected works alongside that collection. The call linked to a list of available works, while also allowing the exact works in the initial proposal to remain indicative.

Fully funded UK research trip

The benefits section promised a fully funded research trip to the UK in May 2026, with provisional dates of 15–25 May 2026. The eligibility section required applicants to be available for that travel and to be able to make a UK visa application, with support, between February and April 2026. The trip was part of the programme structure, not an unrelated travel award.

Exhibition and public-programme support

The call said participants would receive a grant to deliver an exhibition and programme for local audiences, using works by local artists and works from the British Council Art Collection. It qualified that offer with “subject to approved proposals and due diligence checks.” The amount was not specified on the official call page, so this entry does not invent a figure or describe the grant as an unconditional payment.

Each curator was also expected to deliver a public programme or workshop element for and inclusive of the local artistic community. The examples on the page included artists, practitioners, and venues. This requirement means the exhibition was expected to have a local engagement component rather than being only a screening or installation for invited guests.

Eligibility for the closed call

The official eligibility section listed the following requirements. They describe the 2026 call and should not be assumed to govern a future edition unless the programme republishes them.

• Applicants had to be at least 18 years old.
• Applicants had to be based in Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, or Zimbabwe.
• Applicants could not be enrolled in full- or part-time formal education.
• Applicants had to be early- to mid-career visual arts curators.
• Applicants had to be proficient in English.
• Applicants had to show a demonstrated interest in working with moving image.
• The programme was not open to artists applying as artists.
• Applicants needed a valid passport valid until 30 November 2026.
• Applicants needed to be available for the UK trip in May 2026 and for a UK visa application with support between February and April 2026.

The call used “curators” broadly. It included exhibition-makers, producers, practitioners, and programmers working in the visual arts space. It also described visual arts practitioners, artists, and designers who had put together displays, exhibitions, representations, or convenings around the work of other visual artists for an audience. The boundary was therefore about curatorial activity: an artist’s own studio practice alone did not satisfy the stated programme focus.

Early-career indicators

For early-career applicants, the page listed a relevant degree or equivalent experience, experience working with artists on commissions, productions, or exhibitions, and contributions to research, organisation, or administrative support for an exhibition, public programme, or arts publication. These were practical indicators rather than a requirement for a particular job title.

Mid-career indicators

For mid-career applicants, the page listed professional experience as a visual arts curator, leadership of at least one high-profile exhibition with significant press coverage, or research or critical study on visual arts practice. The wording allowed more than one kind of professional history to demonstrate fit.

Programme commitments and timeline

The commitments section made the workload clear. Selected participants were expected to attend monthly online sessions from February 2026 to March 2027, attend a one-week research trip to the UK at approximately 15–25 May 2026, and develop a detailed exhibition proposal after the residency week.

The final local delivery was expected to take place between late 2026 and March 2027. Participants also had to fulfil British Council grant-agreement, monitoring, and evaluation requirements. In other words, selection was connected to a longer programme of participation and delivery, not simply to receiving travel support.

The call page has an internal date inconsistency: its main deadline heading says 18 January 2026, while the selection-process section says 18 January 2025 at 11:59pm GMT+2. The surrounding information, including the notification timing and the May 2026 programme schedule, supports 2026 as the intended call deadline. This entry records the date shown in the page heading and does not present the stray 2025 line as a second deadline.

The page also listed online information sessions on 12 December 2025 and 14 January 2026 at 12:00 UTC. Those sessions belonged to the closed call. They are retained here as part of the cycle record, not as upcoming events.

Application route used for the 2026 call

There is no confirmed live application route for a new cycle in the official material reviewed. The following is the submission process published for the closed 2026 call.

Applicants completed an online application form and uploaded a CV, a curatorial proposal of no more than two A4 pages, and a signed letter of support from the proposed exhibition host venue. All materials had to be in English.

The form asked four questions:

1. Why do you want to participate, and how will it support your professional development? The response limit was 350 words.
2. Describe your curatorial experience. The response limit was 350 words.
3. Who is your proposed host venue, and why do you want to work with them? The response limit was 350 words.
4. Do you require access support? If yes, outline your needs.

The access-support response was for planning purposes and was not assessed as part of the application. The programme stated that it welcomed D/deaf, disabled, and neurodivergent applicants and would work collaboratively with selected participants on access requirements.

Proposal expectations

The initial proposal could be indicative and evolve during the programme. It needed to outline the exhibition concept and explain how the curator would work with invited artists or selected works alongside the British Council’s moving-image collection. Projects also needed to include the public programme or workshop element for the local artistic community. No budget was required at this stage.

That structure rewarded a clear direction and a credible route to delivery, rather than pretending every work, cost, and installation decision was final before the research phase. A useful proposal would still need to explain the host venue, audience, moving-image approach, and community-facing activity in enough detail for the panel to assess its quality and feasibility.

Optional video format

The call allowed an optional video application. It could be no more than 10 minutes, although the panel would view only the first 5 minutes. Accepted formats were mp4 or mov, with a maximum file size of 20MB. Video applicants still had to submit the CV, host-venue support letter, and completed equality and diversity monitoring form. The video had to answer the same questions as the written form and clearly state each question before the response.

Why the host venue mattered

The signed host-venue letter was more than a routine attachment. The proposed venue was part of the delivery plan, and the programme required the exhibition and public programme to take place in the curator’s home country. A credible host letter would show that the venue understood the proposal and was prepared to discuss the practical conditions of a moving-image presentation.

For a future announcement, a prospective applicant could use the closed call’s requirements as a preparation checklist, while waiting for the official programme to publish new terms. Useful information to have ready would include the venue’s point of contact, likely exhibition timing, screening or installation conditions, sound and projection constraints, staffing, and the venue’s role in supporting public activity. None of these preparations creates a right to apply to a future cycle; they simply make the old call’s practical expectations easier to understand.

How the selection process was described

Applications for the closed call were to be assessed on eligibility and quality of responses, not writing style or production quality. The panel was described as including representatives from Breinstorm Brand Architects, IQOQO, and the British Council. Shortlisted applicants might have been invited to an informal online interview, and the page said all applicants would be notified by the first week of February 2026. It also said individual feedback would not be available to unsuccessful applicants because of the high number of applications.

Those statements belong to the completed call. They should not be read as a promise that a person contacting the programme now will receive an interview, a decision, or feedback. The correct current action is to monitor the official programme website and contact IQOQO about any future announcement or access question rather than submitting against the expired deadline.

Practical lessons from the closed requirements

The 2026 call gives a useful picture of the kind of preparation the programme valued:

• A curator needed a clear connection to moving image, not only a general interest in contemporary art.
• A host venue had to be identified early enough to provide a signed letter.
• The proposal needed to link the collection, invited or selected artists, the local context, and the public programme.
• The programme expected sustained participation through online sessions, research travel, proposal development, and local delivery.
• Access needs could be disclosed in the form so support could be planned with selected participants.
• The financial offer was conditional, so applicants needed a proposal that could withstand approval and due diligence.

These points are a record of the closed cycle, not an instruction to reuse old documents without checking a future call. Eligibility, deadlines, available works, application questions, and support terms may change if the organisers announce another edition.

Official links and source note

• Official call page: https://www.artexchangemovingimage.uk/call-for-applications/
• Official programme home: https://www.artexchangemovingimage.uk/
• British Council Collection referenced by the programme: https://arts.britishcouncil.org/
• Sub-Saharan Africa enquiries and access needs: [email protected]

The official call page and programme home are the sources for this archive entry. The call page confirms the 18 January 2026 deadline, the eligibility rules, the support package, the submission materials, and the programme commitments. The home page confirms the wider 2023–2027 programme context and names Breinstorm Brand Architects and IQOQO as the delivery organisations for the Sub-Saharan Africa edition. Because no later Sub-Saharan Africa deadline is published there, this page remains marked as a historical reference until the organisers announce a new cycle.