The 2021 Summer Exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts explores the transformative powers of the magical in art whilst also serving as a platform for marginalised and overlooked artists who have historically been excluded by the western art narrative.
Yinka Shonibare CBE RA to Co-ordinate the 2021 RA Summer Exhibition
The Show's Theme of ‘Reclaiming Magic’ Celebrates the Joy of Art
22 September 2021 – 2 January 2022
Invited artists this year include Njideka Akunyili Crosby, Michael Armitage, Jade Montserrat, Hew Locke, Rita Keegan and Alvaro Barrington, plus work by self-taught artists such as Frantz Lamothe, Bärbel Lange and Marie-Rose Lortet. The exhibition is anchored to a special dedication to the self-taught American artist Bill Traylor (1853 – 1949) who was born into slavery and only began to draw his recollections and observations in 1939.
The show also includes an Architecture Room curated by David Adjaye RA, an accompanying sound programme, new works by Phyllida Barlow RA, William Kentridge RA and many more, plus artwork submitted by members of the public.
Yinka Shonibare CBE photographed at the RA Summer Show in 2017. Courtesy the Royal Academy of Arts, London. Photographer: David Parry.