The dates for the annual exhibition of works by final year students at the Royal Academy Schools, the oldest art school in Britain have been announced. Held in the studio spaces of the Schools the exhibition invites students to show works developed over a three-year period of study, providing visitors with a rare opportunity to view and buy exceptional pieces from an aspiring generation of artists.
The exhibition will see a blend of traditional materials and familiar techniques of painting, mould casting and screen-printing, with the cutting-edge of contemporary. The RA Schools Show will include a pop-up Hackney radio broadcast from one studio with the display of video and sound art on an iPod in another. Further installations range from an exploration of the effects of fluorescent light on retroreflective fabric to an architectural investigation into the practical function of materials, via a suspended concrete floor. The exhibition also brings together a striking assortment of objects, from wigs made of goat’s hair to a room of scented candles and a full-size cactus, made out of cast resin.
The RA Schools has a unique place in the post-graduate art school landscape as the only art schools to offer a 3 year post-graduate course, tailor-made to the needs of each individual student. The RA Schools Show consequently reveals the diversity of the students’ practices and offers the visitor an array of different ways to experience art. The Royal Academy upholds the founding principle that the RA Schools are free of charge to all those accepted to study, by covering the cost of fees and providing financial support to students in the form of maintenance and materials grants. All students are supported throughout their studies by the expert professorship of Royal Academicians, including Tracey Emin, Humphrey Ocean, Fiona Rae and Richard Wilson.
Brian Griffiths, Third Year Tutor at the Royal Academy Schools said: “The studios of the Royal Academy Schools are full of activity with ambitious artists completing their final year shows. I am very excited about seeing 17 diverse and exciting young artists graduate from our innovative three-year programme.”
The RA Schools Show will feature the work of 17 third-year students, from the UK, Germany and Singapore: Charlie Billingham, Adham Faramawy, Stephen Forge, Joseph Frazer, Bradley Grievson, Nancy Milner, Michael O’Reilly, Tom Owen, Eddie Peake, Tim Pratt, Mary Ramsden, James Robertson, Prem Sahib, Sarah Shoughi, Marie von Heyl, Amy Woodward and Esther Yuan. This year’s cohort has a strong background of previous exhibitions, in the UK at the Saatchi Gallery (Charlie Billingham), White Cube and Tate Modern Tanks (Eddie Peake); and internationally at Lorcan O’Neill Gallery, Rome (Prem Sahib) and the Art Miami Fair (Marie Von Heyl).
The Royal Academy Schools, established in 1768 as an integral element of the Royal Academy, continues to support the organisation’s purpose of promoting the creation, enjoyment and appreciation of the visual arts through exhibitions, education and debate. The Schools’ distinguished heritage is matched by an acclaimed list of alumni, including JMW Turner, John Constable and William Blake, to more recently John Hoyland, Anthony Caro and Jane Simpson. Recent graduates include Lynette Yiadom-Boakye, nominated for the Turner Prize this year, Lucy Williams, Sinta Tantra, Christian Ward and Matt Derbyshire. Many works exhibited will be available for sale. Artworks sold directly support the development of the students and the production of new work.
RA SCHOOLS SHOW Schools Studios 19-30 June 2013 Free admission
Royal Academy of Arts, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London W1J 0BD