The manifesto

In an age of scarcity and excess, what forms of art making remain relevant?
zero material recognises that each material, whether tangible or intangible, carries its own agency that awaits to be exercised creatively — informed by diasporic experience, it proposes unorthodox approaches like hacking, smuggling and piggybacking as artistic practice.

The artwork may take the form of a gesture, a situation, an infrastructure, a digital trace, a collective action or even an administrative process — the materiality that already penetrates and accumulates in our everyday lives.

We are looking for an artist with ESEA heritage whose practice engages with materials, systems, or processes — someone curious about working with what already exists, and interested in how diasporic experience shapes the way things are made.

The selected artist will receive

-An artist fee of £2,500 and a production budget of £800

-A supported public presentation in spring 2027

-Artist development support including tailored workshops, one-to-one mentoring, and institutional visits

-A hot-desking space at Kakilang's central London office between August 2026 – June 2027 up to 3 days per week, if required