Summer Exhibition

Colourful annual exhibition at the Royal Academy.


This year’s show was curated by Grayson Perry and it reflects his sense of sense of fun and colour. Walking into a bright yellow room really wakes up the senses. The show was quite spread out this year to use some of the new spaces following the refurbishment but I prefer the more concentrated approach. It was a low moment when I realised there was yet more up in the Sackler Galleries.

As ever this was a wonderful mixed bag of work but you like or reject work very quickly and spot your old favourites. Strangely for me I’ve picked a geometric abstract from the first room to illustrate this post as I loved it’s colours and it matched the wall so beautifully!



A new artist I spotted this year was John Wragg who did interesting portraits against squared bright backgrounds. I spotted his work throughout the show and it always caught my eye.  I loved Melissa Scott-Miller’s “View of Islington from the Tenth Floor” as there was so much going on. Also Ron Arad’s “Where are my Glasses” which are spectacles on blown glass. My favourite print this year was Nana Shiomi’s of a whole and a broken bowl.

Oddities included a take on Girl Pearl Earring using a dog by Patricia Beach, a number of pictures painted as it on a iphone including the black surround and button and Debbie Lawson’s full scale bear made of red carpet.


 
Closes on 19 August 2018
 
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