About Hotel Generation
Hotel Generation mentors the next generation of UK digital artists during the critical early stages of establishing a career in the arts.
The development programme selects 4 young digital artists and pairs them with a mentor to receive online curatorial guidance as they work on an exhibition proposal for arebyte's exhibition space.
The skills-focused programme culminates in a solo exhibition at arebyte Digital Art Centre for one of the 4 participants, selected by a panel of leading experts from the new media art sector.
Hotel Generation aims to equip participants with the confidence to approach galleries, crafting clear exhibition proposals, managing timelines and budgets.
Eligibility Criteria
● 18 - 28 year olds emerging digital artist
● Living in the UK,
● can be in London on 24-25 Apr 2026
● Not currently enrolled at universities
9th Edition - REBOOT: Recoding Reality
REBOOT: Recoding Reality reimagines more equitable futures in which people have agency over technology and care for their environments. Amid escalating social, political, economic and ecological crises, dystopian narratives dominate public imagination. The programme asks: how can we organise more sustainable ways of living? What can we learn from alternative knowledge systems? How might individuals reclaim technological agency?
Through digital artists and thinkers developing decentralised tools, planetary ecological perspectives and cross-cultural approaches, REBOOT proposes new methodologies for navigating contemporary life. Rather than dwelling on collapse, it invites audiences to imagine viable alternatives and positions arebyte in Camden as an incubator for critical, future-facing digital art.
Programme Outline
● 4 online curatorial sessions with your dedicated mentor
● 2 online sessions with arebyte creative technologist
● London Weekend 24-25 Apr 2026 (expenses covered)
● £1,000 stipend (research, equipment, software, etc)
● A solo show to realise your proposal if you are selected by the judging panel
Access Needs
We ask about any access needs as part of your application. To apply in alternative formats, please email opencall@arebyte.com.
We have designed this call-out with accessibility in mind and welcome feedback on how we can improve it.
Mentors
Mentors offer individual curatorial sessions (online) of 60-90 minutes to the participant they are paired with, providing professional guidance, critical feedback and assistance with developing the participant’s open call proposal into a finalised exhibition proposal
Carrie Chan
Contemporary Programme Curator, V&A
Sam Mercer
Curator of Digital, The Photographers’ Gallery
Hannah Redler-Hawes
Curator & Director of Data as Culture,
The Open Data Institute
Linda Rocco
Writer & Curator (Arts & Technology) n-Space, Somerset House Studios; and Research Tutor, Royal College of Art
Judging Panel
Pita Arreola
Head of Programmes, arebyte
Mila Askarova
CEO & Founder, Gazelli Art House
Jazia Hammoudi
Program Director, Onassis ONX, New York
Tadeo Lopez-Sendon
Chief Executive, Abandon Normal Devices Festival
Maitreyi Maheshwari
Head of Programme, FACT Liverpool
Timeline
12 Mar : Open call deadline
19 Mar : 4 selected artists announced
Week starting 13 Apr - Mentoring Sessions 1
Fri 24- Sat 25 Apr - LONDON WEEKEND
Week starting 27 Apr - Mentoring Sessions 2
Week starting 11 May - Mentoring Sessions 3
Week starting 1 Jun - Mentoring Sessions 4
15 Jun : Exhibition proposal submission
End of June : Final Winner Announcement
Feb-Apr 2027: Solo show at arebyte
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I apply more than once with several project proposals?
We only accept one submission per artist. If you submit 2 proposals we will only review the one which was submitted earlier.
I’m in a collective, can we apply together?
Unfortunately not, we can only accept applications from individual artists.
I am 28 years old but will turn 29 during the development programme, can I still apply?
Yes, at the time of submission, applicants must be 28 or under.
I am completing my education and will have graduated by the time of the exhibition period. Can I still apply?
On this occasion, unfortunately not. Our focus is on providing support and guidance to artists who may not have access to such resources outside of an educational context.
What do you mean by digital artists?
We define digital artists as practitioners who work with digital technologies, whose outcomes can manifest as websites, computer games, CGI, screen based and projection, AI, generative art, augmented reality, virtual reality, video, digital performance, on-chain experiments, 3D printing, motion capture, and numerous other innovative digital practices.
What do you mean by emerging artists?
We define an emerging artist as someone who is in the early stage of their career, who has yet to receive a major exhibition and has not had extensive media coverage for their work.
How should my exhibition proposal align with the theme of REBOOT:Recoding Reality?
In this Open Call, we invite you to propose work for a solo exhibition centred on ‘REBOOT: Recoding Reality’. We welcome projects that critically engage with the ecological and social resources required to build technological infrastructure; explore how decentralised technologies can serve the public good; or examine the potential of integrating non-Western cultural canons and heritage into the ways we design, use, and understand technology.
Proposals may bring together diverse strands of research—such as regeneration, social infrastructure, ecology, and sustainable technological development. For further context, background, and references, please consult our curatorial programme text.
When will I hear back once I submit my open call proposal?
Successful applicants will be notified within 10 working days of the open call deadline. Unfortunately, due to the high number of submissions, we will not be able to provide feedback to unsuccessful applications.
What is expected of me if my exhibition proposal is selected by the panel of judges?
If you win hotel generation, you have the opportunity to realise your proposal for a solo exhibition at arebyte.
Testimonials from Past Participants
“Working with the team at arebyte gave me the confidence to be experimental and ambitious with my ideas, pushing my practice forward and opening up new opportunities.”
“It was the first time I’ve been able to work closely with a curator, and have the support to make an exhibition exactly as I wanted it. The show at arebyte was my first solo exhibition in London and arebyte were a great gallery to work with!”