I’m excited to announce our call for artists submissions for our third show of 2026

‘Kama Muta’ - Exhibition opens 21st June - 2nd August 2026.

Tis a Fearful Thing ― Yehuda HaLevi

‘Tis a fearful thing
to love what death can touch.

A fearful thing
to love, to hope, to dream, to be –

to be,
And oh, to lose.

A thing for fools, this,

And a holy thing,

a holy thing
to love.

For your life has lived in me,
your laugh once lifted me,
your word was gift to me.

To remember this brings painful joy.

‘Tis a human thing, love,
a holy thing, to love
what death has touched.”

Kama muta (Sanskrit: काममूत) is a psychological term for the sudden, positive emotion of being "moved by love," characterised by feelings of oneness, warmth in the chest, tears, goosebumps, and a strong urge for connection or nurturing, often triggered by acts of kindness, heroism, or deep empathy, and described as "heart-warming" or "stirring". It signifies a powerful moment of communal sharing or deep connection, motivating feelings of devotion and care. 

Key Characteristics

  • Meaning: "Moved by love" in Sanskrit.

  • Feeling: Intense, brief, positive emotion of unity or belonging.

  • Physical Sensations: Warmth in the chest, chills, goosebumps, tears, lump in throat (being choked up).

  • Triggers: Reunions, art, music, acts of heroism, empathy, love for pets or family, patriotism.

  • Motivation: Fosters compassion, devotion, and a desire to care for others.

    Why it's significant

  • It's a powerful, universal human emotion that binds people together and strengthens social bonds, helping with survival and well-being.

  • Giving it a name helps people recognize and understand these transformative experiences. 

Guardian Article exploring Kama Muta: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2024/oct/26/kama-muta-the-powerful-emotion-you-didnt-know-you-had

I would love to receive an array of work which you as artists feel explores the theme of Kama Muta: pretty much anything that fits seamlessly with this theme: both literally and metaphorically.

Submissions Criteria & Information:

Please ensure that you read all of the information below before submitting your work. Any application form/email missing info from the list below will not be considered for the exhibition.

  • Open to all artists resident within the UK.

  • Open to all disciplines including ceramics and sculpture.

  • Open to artists aged 18 and over.

  • All work must be available for sale

  • No reproductions/giclee prints accepted.

  • Maximum number of pieces submitted per artist - 3.

  • Submission to the call out is free/no fee - however if selected to exhibit in the show there will be a £20 per artist exhibition fee payable on selection.

  • If selected you will need to deliver & collect your work to/from the gallery prior to the show or send via courier/post. And this includes any unsold work at the end of the show too. All costs incurred re; delivery/post/collection will be covered by the artist.

  • Artists will be solely responsible for insuring their artwork whilst it is in transit prior to and after the show.

  • A submission form must be completed and emailed to: theoldlockupgallery@gmail.com - you’ll find the form at the foot of this webpage. Along with JPEGS of all work being submitted: please don’t send separate emails.

  • Submission forms can be downloaded, printed off and handwritten/completed - and a photograph sent as a jpeg if you prefer/find it easier. Please make sure any photographs of the application form are easy to read/decipher.

  • PDF’s of your work/embedded into a document will not be accepted. Neither will links to your work/images that require downloading to view them.

  • Good quality JPEG’s of your work: with no blurring and cropped to size - with no background showing must be emailed along with your submission form to the above email address: attached in one email only - please don’t send separately.

  • File names for your JPEGS will need to be the title of your work or an abbreviation of the title.

  • Size restriction - 1.5 metre square

  • Price restriction: £1500

  • You must be able to deliver work on Sunday 14th June 5pm - 6.30pm.

  • I accept postal deliveries of work - this option is available to all exhibiting artists - work must be scheduled to arrive on 12th June. You will receive further info on this if you are selected.

  • I am able to return unsold work via post - however this option is only available to artists who live outside of a 1.5 hour travelling radius of the gallery.

  • If selected the gallery commission on any sales is 50%.

  • All artists will be contacted re; selection etc by approx 29th May.

  • All works will need to be framed - unless on a box frame/stretched canvas or board. All pieces ready to hang/No mirror plates.

  • Due to the high volume of submissions received no feedback will be available at any point throughout the submission/selection process.

Any submissions that don’t meet the above criteria or application process will not be considered.

The call out will be OPEN for submissions to the call out for the show from January 13th - 20th May and I warmly invite you to step forward and submit your work up until the deadline of the callout on 20th May at midnight.

It’s advisable that you download the form prior to this as this webpage will be removed at 9pm on the 20th May.

Submission Form