RA Schools Show 2024
It is an absolute joy to explore the generously sized studios of the newly renovated RA Schools. The ceilings are high, the lighting is kind and each of the rooms is clearly labelled with the name of the artist and the details of their works. Those factors play a strong supporting role that contributes to the success of this show, but a well deserved standing ovation should be given to the eleven students that optimised both what they made and how they engaged with their space.
With an unusually low student count it must have been tempting to fill the ample facilities with as much work as they could muster. It’s a common approach at degree shows, but aside from Ilze Aulmane’s intentionally chaotic use of the Weston Studio there is an incredibly mature sense of restraint. Tanoa Sasraku, for instance, fills one of the largest footprints with a single work. It’s a ginormous sheet of fringed newsprint laid on a custom plinth. What looks like a far too delicate duvet covers 2.8 x 3.9 metres of space, and yet there is plenty left to circumnavigate and study the work. Which you will, as there is nothing else to see aside from one small, beautifully framed modern artefact. The hang gives an implied reverence to these works that doesn’t quite fit their material and that draws my inspection even closer.
A similar approach of bringing heightened focus to a singular item has been taken by Massimiliano Gottardi, who in a dim corner room has placed a working fountain that bubbles up through cups & saucers stacked high in a sink. The soothing water sounds are at odds with the visual that triggers memories of shared university accommodation and neglected cleaning rotas. It’s a brilliantly playful, meditative work, and it won’t be the last we see, or hear, of Gottardi.
Around the corner Fleur Dempsey has filled a long, narrow hallway with hanging threads that must be carefully navigated. Each is weighted with a piece of lead. At various heights are tied individually cast porcelain pencil sharpenings. From either end of the room their appearance fills me with wintry joy since my eyes can no longer make out the thin strings. The delicate porcelain magically floats like large drops of snow.
Those looking for traditional works — at least in the sense of something that can more easily be hung on a wall — can choose from Fungai Benhura’s layers of painted papers that have been scraped away to create abstract tree-ring patterns, Norberto Spina’s rhythmically lined acrylic & marker figurative and landscape works, Fischer Mustin’s zombie-like nudes inhabiting Classical architecture and Fleur Dempsey’s abstract geometrics that made my eyes go cross. Based on the few paintings presented from each, I’d be surprised if any of the four hasn’t already been offered a solo show.
My favourite room by far, however, was Massimiliano Gottardi’s 2nd, filled with two large works that take up so much space you can’t fully navigate your way around them. Or inside them, either. The box-like structures are fully encased, one in aluminium siding and the other with pressboard. Each has a large vertical window enabling you to see what appears within. When the lights are on, that is. They cycle on and off, along with looped audio that cycles through strangely familiar sounds.
Inside each is a fully finished room with painted walls and skirting board, patterned vinyl flooring, power sockets, light switches, ventilation grills, etc. but something is obviously missing. There are no visible seams or construction joins, and no obvious way in or out of the sparsely decorated containers. These impenetrable rooms are a life-sized illusion, a production magic trick that raises more questions than answers. A precariously balanced teacup left on top of the wooden box only adds to the mystery of how these were made and who, or what, they are for.
And there’s even more to see, including video works and a curious conceptual installation about security and surveillance, but in practically every room the impression I walk away with is not of a “promising student” but a carefully curated statement from a confident artist. Works are given space to breathe. Visitors have space to step back to appreciate them. And all of the technical details and finish is good. Very good. Whether or not any of the works meet your aesthetic, there’s no denying the exceptionally high levels of production quality.
This isn’t just the best student degree show I’ve had the pleasure to attend, it’s one of the best London art shows I’ve seen so far this year.
Featuring
Ilze Aulmane — @ilsy_aulman
Fungai Benhura — @fungai_b
Kevin Brennan — @kev1n_brennan
Racheal Crowther — @rachealcrowther
Fleur Dempsey — @fleur_dempsey
Massimiliano Gottardi — massimilianogottardi.com
Lizzie Munn — @lizzieemunn
Fischer Mustin — @fischermustin
Tanoa Sasraku — @tanoasasraku
Norberto Spina — @norbertospina
Jame St Findlay — @perfect.girlfriend
Plan your visit
‘RA Schools Show 2024’ runs until 30 June.
Free
Visit the official webpage and follow @royalacademyschools on Instagram for more info about the show and venue.
PLUS…
Check the What’s On page so you don’t miss any other great shows closing soon.
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