New Contemporaries

What New Contemporaries does

New Contemporaries (1988) Limited is a UK-registered charity (Charity Number 1013848) that operates an annual open-call competition and a year-long Artist Development Programme for emerging and early-career artists across the United Kingdom. Each year, a peer panel selects approximately 26 artists, who then receive exhibitions at partner galleries, mentoring, workshops, residencies, bursaries, travel support, and professional development programming. The organization has operated for over 75 years and counts numerous high-profile artists among its alumni, including participants in the Venice Biennale.

The charity's core offering is a curated, peer-reviewed cohort programme rather than a technology platform. Programme activities include open submissions (charged at £25 per application), exhibitions hosted at partner institutions such as MIMA Middlesbrough, Focal Point Gallery Southend-on-Sea, and historical London venues, plus supplementary events including talks, performances, and public-realm commissions (e.g., the 2025 Art on the Underground co-commission with Ahmet Öğüt). Specialist strands such as the "How is an Artist?" performance programme and a collaborative PhD with Teesside University extend the programming beyond traditional gallery exhibitions.

New Contemporaries is funded primarily through institutional grants from Arts Council England, Art Fund, and the Henry Moore Foundation, supplemented by individual donations, application fees, and a 50% commission on artwork sales generated through partner exhibitions. The organization employs 13 staff and operates without proprietary technology infrastructure typical of commercial enterprises — it is a mission-driven, grant-funded arts charity rather than a venture-backed company. Leadership transitioned in 2025 with Kiera Blakey appointed as Director, and the organization has signaled a programmatic shift toward widening geographic access, including removing the art school attendance requirement and targeting more than 50% of cohort artists based outside London.

Name

New Contemporaries

Legal name

New Contemporaries (1988) Limited

Website

https://newcontemporaries.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

New Contemporaries is a UK registered charity that runs an annual open call and year-long Artist Development Programme for 26 emerging artists, providing exhibitions at partner galleries, mentoring, residencies, and bursaries across the United Kingdom.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Charitable donations and grants: As a registered charity (Charity Number: 1013848), New Contemporaries is funded primarily through donations, charitable grants, and fundraising activities. The organization raises funds from individual donors, institutional supporters, and special fundraising events such as their 75th Anniversary Fundraiser held in partnership with Christie's.
2. Application fees: A non-refundable £25 application fee is charged for artists submitting to the open call. This fee directly supports the Artist Development Programme including mentoring, artist fees, travel, workshops, networking opportunities and access support.
3. Artwork sales commission: New Contemporaries manages sales of selected works during exhibitions. A commission of 50 percent of the agreed sale price applies to all sales. Artists have the option to make works available for sale.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

New Contemporaries is a registered UK charity that supports emerging and early-career artists through an annual open call, a year-long Artist Development Programme, and group exhibitions at major UK galleries. Selected artists receive mentoring, peer networking, workshops, talks, residency opportunities, and artist fees, with a commitment that at least 50% of participants are based outside London. The organization also runs the Studio Residency and Bursary Programme at partner venues and the 'How is an Artist?' programme focused on performance and live practices.

Product overview

New Contemporaries is an arts organization that operates as a unified platform providing exhibition opportunities, artist development, and residency programmes for emerging and early-career artists in the UK. The core offering is the Annual Exhibition Programme, which showcases selected artists at major UK venues. This is supported by the Artist Development Programme, which provides structured mentoring, peer networking, workshops, and talks from September to June. The Studio Residency and Bursary Programme offers fully funded residencies at partner venues including Hospitalfield and FormaHQ. The 'How is an Artist?' Programme focuses specifically on performance and live practices. All programme participants gain access to the annual Open Call submission process, with selected artists joining the comprehensive development track culminating in exhibition opportunities. The Channel provides supplementary content including interviews, films, sound recordings, and blog posts.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• New Contemporaries Annual Exhibition

Quantifiable outcome

• Artists from New Contemporaries have gone on to exhibit at major international venues including Venice Biennale
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and supporting.

• South London GallerycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSouth London Gallery is the primary exhibition partner for New Contemporaries' annual group exhibition showcasing 26 emerging artists. The SLG provides exhibition space at its Peckham Road venue and Fire Station, curatorial support, and access to its communities and learning programmes. The partnership enables New Contemporaries to deliver high-profile exhibition opportunities for selected artists.
• MIMA, MiddlesbroughcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMIMA (Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art) is an exhibition partner for New Contemporaries. The gallery, part of Teesside University, hosts the travelling exhibition following its run at South London Gallery. This marks the first time New Contemporaries has been presented in Middlesbrough, celebrating the strength of artistic communities in the North East region.
• HospitalfieldcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHospitalfield in Arbroath, Scotland partners with New Contemporaries to deliver a Studio Residency and Bursary programme. The residency offers a fully funded 2-week stay with accommodation, full board, £1,000 bursary, and dedicated workspace for selected artists. This provides artists with dedicated time and space to develop their practice.
• FormaHQcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFormaHQ in Bermondsey, London partners with New Contemporaries to provide a 12-month fully funded studio residency. The programme includes dedicated curatorial and communications support, access to AV equipment and bookable spaces. Funded by Arts Council England.
• Focal Point GallerycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFocal Point Gallery in Southend-on-Sea is the upcoming exhibition partner for the 2026-2027 cohort. Selected artists will exhibit at Focal Point Gallery and other partner venues across Southend-on-Sea, opening in June 2027.
• Art on the UndergroundmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerArt on the Underground co-commissioned Ahmet Öğüt's 'Saved by the Whale's Tail, Saved by Art' installation at Stratford Underground Station with New Contemporaries. The commission included a public call-out for stories about art's impact on lives and resulted in a publication available at Stratford station.
• Christie'ssupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerChristie's partnered with New Contemporaries for the 75th Anniversary Fundraiser, held in partnership with the auction house. The fundraiser was made possible by generous contributions of contemporary artists and led by the Development Committee.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Acme Studios: Acme Studios (London) provides affordable studio space, residencies, and development support for early-career artists in the UK. While more focused on studio provision, its artist-development remit overlaps meaningfully with NC's brief.
• Spike Island: Spike Island (Bristol) is a UK centre for contemporary art and design that combines affordable artist studios with a year-round exhibition and residency programme for emerging and early-career artists — closely mirroring New Contemporaries' model of combining exhibitions with development support.
• Studio Voltaire: Studio Voltaire (London) supports emerging artists through exhibitions, residencies, and commissions, with a particular focus on under-represented practices. Its hybrid model of exhibitions plus artist development is highly comparable to New Contemporaries.
• Gasworks: Gasworks (London) runs an international residency programme and exhibitions for early-career artists, with a strong focus on artist development, mentoring, and commissioning — a near-direct comparable to New Contemporaries' Artist Development Programme.
• Matt's Gallery: Matt's Gallery (London) is a non-profit that commissions and presents new work by emerging and mid-career artists, with a long-running artist development ethos paralleling New Contemporaries' mentoring and exhibition model.
• Wysing Arts Centre: Wysing Arts Centre (Cambridgeshire) is a UK residency and exhibition programme dedicated to supporting artists at early stages of their careers, with structured development opportunities similar to NC's year-long cohort model.
• Jerwood Arts: Jerwood Arts is a UK-wide foundation funding and developing early-career artists through fellowships, residencies, and commissioning programmes. It is directly comparable to New Contemporaries as a UK emerging-artist development funder/programme operator.
• Iniva (Institute of International Visual Arts): Iniva is a London-based visual-arts organization supporting diverse and under-represented artists through exhibitions, commissions, and learning programmes — a comparable emerging-artist platform with a similar inclusion-focused mission.

Broad incumbents

• Hospitalfield: Hospitalfield (Arbroath, Scotland) is a heritage arts house and residency programme offering fully funded residencies and bursaries for emerging artists. It is both an NC delivery partner and a peer institution with overlapping residency and artist-development activities.
• FormaHQ: FormaHQ (London) is an arts organization offering studio residencies, curatorial support, and commissioning programmes. It is an NC delivery partner but also runs a comparable residency-plus-development model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xinstagram.com/new_contemporaries
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCR7gItGKzvDynh2jmUfuwaA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/new-contemporaries
• Instagraminstagram.com/new_contemporaries

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about New Contemporaries