To celebrate 25 years at the heart of Milton Keynes’ art and culture scene, we are working in partnership with five local community groups to co-curate this year’s open call summer exhibition.
This year’s MK Calling features artworks spanning sculpture, painting, photography, installation and film. Over 120 established and emerging artists explore themes including identity, inclusivity, possible futures, heritage, and significant moments across five thematic gallery spaces.
Over the past year, MK Gallery has been collaborating with learners from: MK SNAP, a Milton Keynes-based training provider for learning-disabled adults; The Visually Impaired People (VIP) Group, a group of friends living with sight loss in the local area who have met through different local support organisations; Unknown Collective, a group of under-26-year-old creatives who have previously engaged with MK Gallery’s programme; Members of the Middle Eastern Cultural Group, a platform which provides social activities and language tuition to people from Middle Eastern communities living in Milton Keynes; and adults from Q:Alliance, a registered charity that provides support, information, and empowerment for the LGBTQ+ community in Milton Keynes and surrounding areas.
Featured artists: ANDI, Aoccho, Nuha Al Hashimi, Theresa Alix Wren-Enayati Rad, Moe Asari, Sadie Aston, Polly Bates, Sophia Bharmal, Nazira Bibi, Benjamin Bird, Helen Birnbaum, Jared Boechler, Thomas Eke, James Bristow, Anna Brownsted, Roisín Callaghan, Daura Campos, Sophia Chapman, Gayle Charlotte Dallas, Clair Chinnery, Paul Chisholm, JMC Anderson, Helen Clarke, Ladina Clement, Liz Clifford, Sue Cohen, Patrick Ayre and Barbara Ayre (MNID Collective), Allistair Covell, Davies Monaghan Klein, Urban Fabric Architects, Ingrid McLaren, Khulood Dami, Sarah Davis, Vera Doarme, Imo Dunkley, Steve Dutton, Dionne Elizabeth, Deborah Fielding, Darcey Fleming, Sofia Fox Barton, Abie Franklin, Lucy Gregory, Dimitra Gkoutzou, Basak Cansu Guvenkaya, Thompson Hall, Alethia Hayden, Carol He, Cara Heath, Manuel Hechavarria Zaldivar, Mark Houghton, Nour Huda, Yang-En Hume, Kàren J Clements, Ella Jackson, Gity Jamei, Daisy Jones, Helen Jones, Margaret Keeton, Sagar Kharecha, Kishwar Kiani, Simon King, Kyle Kirkpatrick, Akrivi Koukouli, C L Davies, Kwinnie Lê, Alana Lake, Jamie Lee, Dene Leigh, Olana Light, Yingfei Lyu, Chris Madeley, Ana Maria, Lima Dimitrijevic, Zehra Marikar, Nicola McEvoy, Nhlonipho Mchunu, Lois McKendrick, Georgina McNamara, Ryoji Morimoto, Guy Morris, Melanie Mosaics, Tahira Noreen, Rosa-Maria Nuutinen, Chinwe Osaghae, Stella Ouzounidou, Sharon Paulger, Hannah Pickett, Melissa Pierce Murray, Deirdre Porter-Hanson, Reaa Puri, shunshun qi, Gill Quinnell, Ghosson Rahhal, W. B. Randall, Eliza Rawlings, Tina Reid, Elsie Roderiques, Rekha Sameer, Kathy Santiago, Mat Scott, Maheen Sheikh, Ellie Shipman, Sarah Simonds, Ricardo Sleiman, Yasmin Conway, Jenny Staff, Emily Stapleton-Jefferis, Ruth Switalski, Sebastian Thomas, Lisa Tilley, Emma Ogawa Todd, Mita Vaghela, Ruqaya Wajdi, Siao-Chen Wang, Matt Waruszynski, Sarah Watts, Emma Wilde, Alexa Wright, Natasha Wysocki-Douglas, Xinan Yang, Soon Yul Kang.
MK Calling 2024 is generously supported by David Lock Associates, Milton Keynes Community Foundation and Paul Hamlyn Foundation.
