The Royal Academy's 249th Summer Exhibition

In 1769 the Royal Academy hosted it's first ever Summer exhibition. Almost 250 years later, the gallery has maintained the annual event boasting 1,200 pieces of art ranging from the design layout of a runway to photographs of veiled Moroccan women riding motorcycles in Marrakech. Co-ordinated by Eileen Cooper, the entries for the exhibition are open to both artists and the general public. This provides the exhibition with a very broad range of ideas, narratives, abilities and perspectives. A diverse space is created by the coming together of art, this year the Royal Academy placed particular emphasis on the theme of welcome and the role the gallery has played within the wider world. The committee for the exhibition made up of 8 members; Eileen Cooper, Bill Jacklin, Gus Cummins, Farshid Moussavi, Fiona Rae, Ann Christopher, Rebecca Salter and Yinka Shonibare. Upon curating their space, an individuality is expressed yet a contradiction is present due to the congregation of perceptions and diversity of artists.

The representation of the theme ‘welcoming’ is conveyed through an assortment of ideas encapsulated between four walls. The range of medium alone projects the concept, as do the themes of the rooms, the colours and shades, and the contrast from one piece to the next. The artwork encapsulates a fundamental idea from all four corners of the earth. Due to the sheer mass of artwork I’m going to concentrate solely on the room curated by Yinka Shonibare, room five. With Nigerian family and having studied the designs of Shonibare over the past year, this room spoke to me and provided me with something I could relate to on a personal level. The beautiful African heritage was conspicuous in this respect as was the celebration of African art, patterns and bold warm colours.

The seemingly popular exhibition is accessed through a wide double door into a spacious yellow room with four open doors leading to the rest of the exhibition. The fluidity and light within the room emphasises the idea of being united and instantly connects art across the globe as a range of nationalities, mediums and cultural heritages could be experienced from a single room. The first room I will refer to as the connecting room due to the fact this room connects not only room with room, but the entire exhibition to the world outside. The space curated by Shonibare was directly opposite the entrance leading out from the main connecting room. Fundamental elements of this space burst out into the surrounding spaces, and as suggested to by the RA the riot of colour seemed to leap off the walls. Within the flexible boundaries of the theme, Shonibare confronts the question of identity in art. This theoretical approach is stimulated by each piece selected within the space reflecting upon both the identity conveyed within the art, and the artist themselves. “The question of identity in art is frequently avoided. But, for Shonibare, artists cannot exclude external variables no matter how hard they try”.

Shonibare playfully respects one’s identity and embraces heritage within this room due to it’s importance it plays within creating an individual and shaping their personality. He acknowledges that in the present day due mostly to current affairs identity is something becoming ever more important, for both love and hate. As people are trying to flee their identity, others are uniting via their identity. The space welcomes unconventional ideas surrounding identity and celebrates how the RA has evolved into a diverse community and space.

Hassan Hajjaj, a British photographer of Moroccan decent, is one of the artists whose work has been selected to convey Shonibare’s vision for this space. Henna Bikers, an enigmatic photograph surrounded by car oil tin cans, depicts five Moroccan women dressed in traditional Islamic clothing with a twist. The women, veiled head to toe, sport dynamic colours and unconventional patterns. Sat upon motorbikes, three of the women are positioned within the centre of the photograph, the other two stand and sit towards the edge positioned towards the front of the picture plane. The women look directly at Hajjaj whilst posing for the photograph. Although the women look directly into the camera lens, their identity is unknown due to their modest clothing, however the individuals are distinguishable to the next. Hajjaj raises the question of identity within this photograph as the Eastern narrative is presented in a Western setting, through a visual counter-narrative. The West’s perception of the Arab world is often wrongly predetermined, focussing on narratives such as religion, heritage and clothing all of which differ greatly than that of the Western world. This photograph re-examines the preconception of the Arab world, concentrating solely on the coming together of women, presenting a refreshed iconography of religion, power and gender. Religion: Religion is a huge component of the Arab community, however it is often wrongly perceived to be an instrument of oppression towards women forcing them to veil. Modesty is a factor of the Islamic religion however it in no way presses women to the extent some may suggest. The headscarf isn’t an entirely religious piece of clothing, this photograph challenges this by elaborating on the bold textiles remoulding the garment into a fashion statement concentrating more so on the urban Moroccan aesthetic rather than the Western assumptions. Despite the women’s faces being covered, they are positioned in ‘power poses’ showing the West they are not who they are perceived to be. As an all female group, the idea of unity and growth comes to play as women are becoming more free to express themselves due to feminist movements. The oil cans surrounding the photograph draw parallels to the motorbikes the women are riding. Motorbikes often have male stigma attached to them, so an all female group riding these bikes challenged these male dominated conventions. The oil cans tie into the mechanical side of the bikes suggesting these women are perfectly capable of maintaining and looking after the bikes for themselves without the supervision of men. Hajjaj not only challenge how the West saw his country, more so than just camels, dates and mint tea, but also revisualises stigmas attached to his country through counter-iconography.

A report from the London borough of Hackney in 2016 documents how Hackney is the 6th most diverse borough in London. Japanese artists Tamoaki Suzuki, embraces the diversity of Hackney through aesthetics presenting the neighbourhood to us via the people present within the borough as small woodcarver models. Suzuki applies a traditional Japanese woodcarving technique in order to create 7 miniature people linking convention with modernisation, East to West, and a range of personalities together. Exploring unconventional notions of the contemporary urban catchment, Suzuki’s art follows within the path paved by the RA, attempting to create a diverse comfortable unit for the wider world incorporating a range of developing attitudes and cultures. Of the seven models, there is a prominent range of genders, ethnicities, and styles. The model with the most eccentric appearance is Larry, a male who wears a baseball cap, a pink irreverent halter neck and bootcut blue denim jeans complete with rhinestones. Larry is representative of diversity, sexuality and the modern day man as he sports what may typically be seen as women's wear. I find comfort in the fact a black male wearing a pink halter neck is being displayed within such a highly regarded institution as this figure alone is challenging stereotypes and indicates progression made within the UK with regards to attitudes towards matters of sexuality and race. Masculinity is redefined through Suzuki’s representation of the modern urban man exploring a range of approaches towards the individual. These figures represent how one may discover their own identity through the liberation of popular culture.

A print that really caught my eye due to its unconventionality, was Dick Jewell’s combination of the pinnacle of classical art with today’s contemporary culture. The print depicts a red theatre stage setting filled with 30 statues of women produced from a range of materials such as marble, bronze and black stone. The statues are seemingly analogous to classical Greek statues such as the Venus de Milo due to their delicate faces and poses where their arms are held over their heads or caressing their hair. Despite each Venus statue differing from the next, they are akin to one another. Jewell has portrayed the concept of the pop culture derived beauty pageant using classical imagery, suggesting the pageant isn’t as contemporary as we may comprehend it. Every statue looking like the next idealises the female form to a slender women with a voluptuous bust and to appear within a sexual nature. In front of these women are a group of people from the present day, girls in leather biker jackets and a man drinking from a beer bottle, all pointing their phone camera’s towards the statues on stage. Almost all the contemporary viewers are young and hold a smartphone, recording images of the statues on stage. The magnitude of smartphones indicates how connected we are today via the internet and the ease of new technology such as the smart phone. The audience, although backs turned to the viewer, seem to be dominantly female. This again further emphasises the images women view today over the internet in relation to the ideal body type. As the viewers are lower down in the picture plane than the statues it represents the attitude of admiration and desire, as the female viewers aspire to look like the women they view through their smartphones who are not even real women, simply statues. Jewell has conveyed the realities of today’s pop culture, recognising how we now have the ability to stay connected globally, but also indicating how a lot of people search for their own identity by aspiring to be like people we view on the internet who are in fact not genuine.

Towards the far right of Shonibare’s carefully curated gallery space hung an sculpture produced from a multitude of rusty turquoise tin cans. Although a seemingly basic piece the construction and thought process behind the installation is indicative of both time and fragility. Mūgogo - The Crossing, produced by Naomi Wanjiku Gakunga an American artist of Kenyan decent, has been purposely made to be displayed on the wall. Mūgogo, created from only tin cans, steel wire and oxidised sheet metal forms, draws attention to waste and discarded goods as the materials are consciously remodelled for the purpose of this artistic piece. Drawing upon her heritage, Gakunga applies the technique Jua Kali, the idea of chance effects created out of things which have been discarded. The phrase, Jua Kal, is Swahili translating to under the hot sun. As the African heat dries, decomposes and deforms waste, the product is transformed into something one can find artistic pleasure in. This concept of repurposing goods ties in with the theme of identification as people evolve and grow dependant on their experiences in the same way as waste can evolve into something aesthetically desirable. The material Gakunga has chosen is not characteristic of her Kenyan heritage, however this refocusses the attention upon the welcoming of new materials and good into a disparate community, and suggests how the coming together of two contrasting concepts (Jua Kal and new materials) can create something alluring. The fragility of the decomposed metal, and the time the process took causes the sculpture’s unusual beauty to become even more engaging as the artists has found beauty in something that would have otherwise been perceived as unpleasant. The striking turquoise against the rustic orangey brown and silver promotes the rich beautiful heritage of Kenya as it is incredibly unique and timeless. Gakunga has produced a dynamic wall hanging drawing upon a range of unique sources, placing a modern twist upon a tired material and traditional approaches.

Shonibare’s curation highlights a range of relevant affairs, refreshing the tradition attached to institutions such as the RA. Boundaries surrounding art are tested creating a dynamic space, relatable to individuals from all walks of life. Shonibare’s inclusion of the urban environment and the millennial generation indicate the art world is consistently changing with the times, finding inspiration within present. Art is used within this space as more than just an aesthetic, but as an indication of the times, progression within culture and diverse changes within our society. Despite the RA’s Summer exhibition approaching it’s 250th anniversary, the display space remains unconventional and exciting, encapsulating a range of unique perceptions of the wider world. As we move towards the future, communities evolve and we become more welcoming to new concepts. Identities play a major role within today’s society as they are forever changing, and we discover new identities both individually and as one continuously. The RA has curated a fantastic exhibition with relatable works of art accessible to all.

Jade Jackman, Ashleigh Kane. Meet Hassan Hajjaj, the Andy Warhol of Marrakech. www.dazeddigital.com/photography/article/34521/1/meet-hassan-hajjaj-the-andy-warhol-of-marrakech accessed 1st September 2017

LB Hackney Policy Team. A Profile of Hackney, it’s People and Place. www.hackney.gov.uk/Assets/Documents/Hackney-Profile.pdf accessed 1st September 2017

Wanjiku Gakunga, Naomi. Naomi Wanjiku Gakunga: Ituika- Transformation. www.octobergallery.co.uk/exhibitions/2013gak/ accessed 1st September 2017