Cathy's Art Diary

Confusing exhibition at the Royal Academy, one of a series of three showcasing the work of 2nd year students in the schools. I have found all these shows annoying for the lack of information about the work. It’s often conceptual in nature and needs some explanation. It might cope with that if it was beautiful but on the whole it hasn’t been. This one took the biscuit as they had run out of the handout, not that it is that useful, so I didn’t even know which work was by which student. By checking the website I think I worked out that these striking paintings are by Djofray Makumbu and that possibly the small model is for an animation and is therefore by Zachariah Riley but if so it might have been nice to see one of his animations to put it in context. As for the other work presumably by Katrina Cowling and Joshua Fay who knows which was which. I rather liked a mechanical wave of corn which I thought was quite witty and the fact the arch of the staircase had been encased in fabri...

Strange exhibition at the Royal Academy featuring work by four second-year students studying at the Royal Academy Schools. I do like to see these annual series of shows but as ever do wish they would offer some explanation of the works. It would be good practice for the artists too to learn how to describe and promote their work. The stand outs this time were the two painters both of which seemed to have hidden elements in their work, drawing you in for a closer look. Mohammed Adel presented dark, monotone works like this one entitled “Living Room”. The lighting was such in the show that it was only when looking at my photo of it that I saw the detail. Francisca Pinto’s worked looked like pillars of fire but writhing in them you found figures. One was called “The Room Where You Are” and think it did show the exhibition gallery itself therefore putting you in the picture and yet transporting you to a different world. Closed 30 March 2025  

Interesting exhibition at the Royal Academy featuring work by three second-year students studying at the Royal Academy Schools. I   like to see these annual series of shows but do wish they would offer some explanation of the works. They are often conceptual work which you do need a bit of help to understand. I liked Lolly Adams’s weird sculptures using found objects centred, in both cases, on a bright pink mannequin head. One seemed to be a fountain and as the friend I was with said, it was a shame it wasn’t working. I also liked Dwayne Coleman’s large blue work made up of a patchwork of blue material. Was it a statement on Indigo and colonialism which is a common theme in contemporary art? His two smaller works seem to have had sound associated with them but I missed that. Maya Gurung-Russell Campbell offered a strange wall sculpture which looked like a discarded fishing net. Some help would be appreciated! Closed 16 February 2025  

Novel exhibition at the Royal Academy showing the work of three of the Royal Academy Schools students. Lolly Adams, Djofray Makumbu and James Sibley explore “staging through methods of set building, costuming and moving image production” according to the blurb. I must admit a lot of the blurb was pretentious and incomprehensible like “Presented here are fragments of the narrative vehicles in which each artist escapes across the causeway, towards finished work.” Please teach students to present their work in a simple way. Looking at the handout since I realise the random old phone in the floor was a soundscape by Djofray Makumbu. It would have been used to have a label on it to encourage its use. That said I liked Lolly Adams bits of costume design and animated avatar wearing it but my favourite was James Sibley’s recreation of the cupboard under his grandparents stairs created to the size it appeared to him as a child. Closed 3 November 2024  

Eclectic exhibition at the Royal Academy of work by final year students in their schools. I always like to try to get to this show as it’s an idea of what might be appearing in galleries soon. It was also good this year to see the refurbished schools space. It’s always quite a mix but this year there seemed to be more painting than usual which was refreshing. I loved Norberto Spina’s wide landscape which had a slight Anselm Keifer feel and Fleur Dempsey’s geometric abstracts. The best conceptual art was two small rooms you looked into by Massimiliano Gottardi but I also liked Lize Aulmane, “Mood Board of my Garbage”, partly for the title, a room of what looked like unfinished work. I think Tanoa Sasraku’s installation “A Tower to Say Goodbye” deserves a prize for the longest description of the media used ever “Newsprint, foraged English and Ghanaian earth pigments, digital print, UV-print produced using a sunbed, tailor's chalk, fixative spray, thread, tap water from the R...

Disjointed exhibition at the Royal Academy of work by two of the current schools students. I say disjointed because the work of the two artists didn’t seem to relate to each other. The title seems to relate to the fact that in both cases they are works in progress. I meant to try to go back and see how they progressed but failed. Ferro’s work was odd sculptures. As ever with these shows it would have been useful to have a bit more explanation. Khilji’s work was figurative paintings on different found materials from a sheet to linoleum to cigarette packets. Closed 29 October 2023

Eclectic exhibition at the Royal Academy of work by graduating students. I try to go each year and this year was as incomprehensible as ever, although I think there was more painting than some years. The schools proper are being refurbished so the show was in what was the Pace Gallery on the Burlington Gardens side and the 2nd floor gallery in the original bit. All the work would benefit from a bit of explanation but without understanding I was drawn to Thirza Smith’s fountain made of an old RSPCA collection box, a room installation by Daria Blum and some delicate abstract paintings on silk and satin by Max Boyla. I think my favourite individual piece was this sculpture of found items also by Smith. Closed 25 June 2023

Second iteration of this three-part mixed exhibition at the Royal Academy of work by second year student at the schools. I went to most of these shows last year and had already done the first show of this year. This version featured work by Fungai Benhura, Norberto Spina, Jame St Findlay and Racheal Crowther. As ever with this show a bit of explanation would enhance the viewing experience. Without that, and particularly with works which are untitled, you can only judge the work by its aesthetic look and if it's a conceptual work that feels unfair. I liked Benhura's work which seemed to consist of two layers of paint on a canvas but the top layer had small rips in it showing the layer beneath which might have had an image on it. I was drawn in and wanted to know more. My favourites were the two hanging pieces by Jame St Findlay partly because I am a sucker for pieces made in ceramic. These were both called "Hydro Pony" 1 and 2 but I have no idea what that mean...

Mixed exhibition at the Royal Academy of work by second year student at the schools. I went to most of these shows last year and this year again sees a series of three of which this is the first featuring work by Fleur Dempsey, Ilze Aulmane and Massimiliano Gottardi. My favourite piece was by Dempsey called “Floating Static” which comprised small porcelain flower like pieces hung on wire to form a delicate circle. At first look I had assumed they were paper. The more photogenic piece was this one by Gottardi. I have no idea what it was about. I always say with this show that a bit of explanation would be good, but I like the way it looked like looking down on a lounge with packing cases. Closes 12 February 2023

Fascinating exhibition at the Royal Academy showcasing the work of the final year students in the schools. I always enjoy this show although I’m not sure I understand much of the work. There was a good handout with a list of the artists and work but it would really benefit from each artists writing a small piece about the work to give a bit of a clue on what it is about. A lot seemed to be quite conceptual but I’m not always sure I spotted the concept. Some work did come alive as the artist was in his studio and explained it to us. This was Pascal Sender and there were layers to the work I would never have grasped without his help. The work had already struck us as it was very colourful after a lot of grey work. The picture I use is the best use I’ve ever seen made of the big windows in the central room between the staircases. It was by Catinca Malaimare. However the show was stolen by Millie Layton’s “My Way, Sing by Wren” which was a recording of a small child singing “My Ma...

Strange small exhibition at the Royal Academy showcasing the work of four 2nd year students at the RA schools. I thought Thirza Smith’s calico dunces’ hats were sweet as she’d made one for each of her for the Class of 23 at the schools. Elinor Stanley had done large odd paintings with hidden faces in them. Not sure I understood Louis Morlae’s wall sculptures in a wrapped and unwrapped version but I liked the effect of them. I felt I should know what they were but I didn’t. My favourite piece was Daria Blum’s pile o f t-shirts with faces on, shown here, which could be bought online. They had a strange optical effect. Closed 8 May 2022  

Quirky exhibition at the Royal Academy showcasing new work developed in the studios of the RA Schools. I had been to the previous show in this series, which was called Premiums Interim 1, and found it fun. I’m not sure why they dropped the interim tag for this version. It’s a great chance to see work as artists develop and it will be interesting to see which ones emerge in the selling galleries over the next few years. This iteration covered five artists Anna Higgins, Clark Keatley, Enej Gala, Mary Stephenson and Nancy Allen. I have to admit I didn’t make notes as I went round as it was a fleeting visit and I can’t remember a lot about the work now. I did take a few photos to remind me though. The information on the Royal Academy website it very sparce on these shows and it would be nice to have a bit more for the forgetful, like me. I loved this rather fine work by Mary Stephenson which was untitled but spoke to me of an empty ballroom, with before an event or possibly during C...

Fun small exhibition at the Royal Academy of work by 2nd year students at the schools. T his was just one room but had the work of five artists. There was a handout identifying the works but I’d have liked to know a bit more about the ideas behind the pieces. I liked Oliver Tirre’s Perspex pieces and assumed they are saying something about transparency but it would have been interesting to know more. The same goes for Max Boyla’s canvas with a light bulb going on and off. My favourite was Rachel Hobkirk’s giant picture of a baby doll. I think it was a Tiny Tears which made me very nostalgic. I was amused by the titles of Daniel Davies’s interior scenes “Untitled”, “Unfinished” and “Unsure”. The room was dominated by Motunrayo Akinola’s installation which I took to be a take on a still life. It would have been good to know if I was in the right ballpark! Closed 13 February 2022