Royal Academy Summer Exhibition 2021 ‒ what the critics are saying
‘Refreshing’ show curated by Yinka Shonibare brings together 1,382 works created in every medium
The Royal Academy’s Summer Exhibition has been staged every summer since 1769 – and seldom, in recent years, has it provided many memorable experiences, said Jonathan Jones in The Guardian. “Most years I walk through it with a mounting boredom and claustrophobia, senses dulled by acres of mediocre art.” So this year’s joyous new iteration of the event (shunted to the autumn by the pandemic) could hardly be more of a surprise.
Under the theme of “Reclaiming Magic” and curated by the British-Nigerian artist Yinka Shonibare, it is a “riot” of brilliant pictures, entertaining juxtapositions and – most remarkably–grown-up explorations of Britain’s imperial past. The show brings together 1,382 works created in every medium, and as always, submissions from the public hang side by side with contributions from famous artists.
It should be chaotic, but somehow Shonibare has “infused the entire RA with his ideas”, selecting many works that explore and question the resonances of European imperialism. Yet there’s “nothing pious” about it; on the contrary, the tone is exuberant.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Crowning the show is Shonibare’s Unintended Sculpture (Donatello’s David and Ife Head), which fuses the body of a Renaissance masterpiece with the head of a great work from medieval Africa – a “manifesto for the imaginative rebirth he leads here”. The Summer Exhibition “has never been so much fun”.
This year’s exhibition is “full of fighting spirit”, said Alastair Sooke in The Daily Telegraph – and determined to champion “previously invisible” artists. The first thing we see is a wall of “spindly silhouetted figures” by the AfricanAmerican artist Bill Traylor (1853-1949), who was born into slavery and taught himself how to paint and draw in his late 80s.
“The legacy of slavery” is everywhere: the British sculptor Hew Locke’s Colston Day 1 is a photo of the sculpture of the Bristol slave trader Edward Colston before it was toppled, covered with “chains and colourful cloth”. One whole room is devoted to John Akomfrah’s “melancholic” video installation about the African diaspora.
While Shonibare’s “takeover” of this normally staid fixture is genuinely “refreshing”, it’s not flawless: as ever, there are pictures with “trite” titles like Almost Spring and many forgettable works, including some “workaday tributes” to the late Captain Tom Moore.
Perhaps the most disappointing contributions come from the more established artists, said Rachel Campbell-Johnston in The Times. Works by the likes of Anselm Kiefer and Allen Jones are “predictable” at best. Yet the show’s enthusiastic embrace of “cultural diversity” is infectious – from photographer Barney Cokeliss’s striking photograph of a Sowetan boy, to Shonibare’s own brightly coloured textile and collage works. The general mood is “cheery and improvisatory”.
Even the public submissions are better than normal, with “eye-catching and amusing” works including a painting by a robot, and a “Boris Johnson voodoo doll” titled Please Enter Your Pin. You’ll leave feeling that Shonibare must have “thrown a bit of magic into the mix” to create such an entertaining exhibition.
Royal Academy, London W1 (020-7300 8090, royalacademy.org.uk). Until 2 January 2022
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Today's political cartoons - March 16, 2024
Cartoons Saturday's cartoons - pointed commentary, Haiti in trouble, and more
By The Week US Published
-
5 hilarious cartoons about the RNC's MAGA takeover
Cartoons Artists take on RNC funding, Lara Trump, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Trump's presidential run: a bad bet for Republicans?
Talking Point The GOP is taking a 'big gamble' on former president's 2024 White House bid
By The Week UK Published
-
Properties of the week: properties with income potential
The Week Recommends Featuring a converted windmill and a country house with medieval origins
By The Week UK Published
-
Angelica Kauffman: 'shrewd and entertaining' exhibition
the week recommends One of two female founders of the Royal Academy, time was 'not kind to her reputation'
By The Week UK Published
-
High & Low: John Galliano – rise and fall of the 'ignominiously sacked' fashion genius
the week recommends Forced out of Dior in 2011, he has since engaged in a 'process of rehabilitation'
By The Week UK Published
-
Starter for Ten: 'very fun' musical adaptation of One Day author's debut
the week recommends 'Top-notch' cast combined with 'energetic and fun' songs makes for a 'feel-good' show
By The Week UK Published
-
6 well-thought-out homes with libraries
Feature Featuring a Tudor Revival in Texas and a condo with illuminated bookshelves in Illinois
By The Week Staff Published
-
Rebecca Serle's 6 favorite books about interpersonal relationships
Feature The best-selling author recommends works by J.D. Salinger, Dolly Alderton, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Príncipe: an island paradise off the west coast of Africa
The Week Recommends The remote island isn't easy to get to, but the journey is 'well worth it'
By The Week UK Published
-
Recipe: pistachio, lemon and coriander seed cake
The Week Recommends The unconventional coriander seeds 'make the flavours sing'
By The Week UK Published