The Royal Academy of Art’s 250th summer exhibition

CAIRO – 24 June 2017: The Royal Academy of Arts (RAA) in London is exhibiting new artwork by emerging artists for summer 2017, a custom that has been ongoing for 250 years. The gallery has been open since June 13.

Every year, the RAA welcomes entries from emerging artists to give them the opportunity to showcase their art alongside famous artists, making it the highlight of all summer art events. It showcases art from various media; from photography, performance and film to paintings and sculptures.

The competition is the largest open submission exhibition in the world. The eight-day process begins by presenting the art piece to a panel of artists. There were around 12,000 entries this year, of which only 1,200 made it to the exhibition’s walls.

According to Eileen Cooper, the coordinator of this year’s event who is also a painter, printmaker and keeper of the RAA, the event aims to spotlight new artists to provide them with the exposure they need to advance in their careers. It also helps fund the artists’ trainings at the RAA.

The showstoppers of this year’s showcase include the work up-and-coming artist of Yinka Shonibare, called “Wind Sculpture VI,” a new piece by Gilbert and George and pieces by Julian Schnabel and Sean Scully, as well as work by well-known international artists including Hassan Hajjaj, Secundino Hernández and Mark Wallinger. The exhibition will continue through August 20.

The RAA has other exhibitions at the moment including “Interpretation of Movement (a9:8 in blue),” work by Leonard Rosoman, and Fred Cuming’s “Academicians in Focus.”