Ryan Gander will co-ordinate the 258th Summer Exhibition in 2026. For the Summer Exhibition 2026, Ryan Gander RA has chosen to explore the theme of ‘Interconnectedness’.
He said:
“It will aim to explore ideas of entanglement, as well as the unexpected and fortuitous connections and associations between disparate things, no matter how abstract or illogical. Proof that, as humans, our outputs hold more commonality than separation, without us intentionally seeking it. Submissions are welcome in any form and medium, and I invite you to share process-based or content-driven work that will help shape these ideas. The curatorial approach will be to mix all media without discrimination; architecture, print, painting and sculpture will be integrated throughout the show, creating conversations with each other rather than being confined to their own spaces. I am hoping this will remind us that historically great artwork is cognitive first and retinal second. As an advocate for art education and its importance to society, I am particularly keen to encourage degree students and recent graduates to submit to this year’s exhibition.”
The Royal Academy will shortly invite artists and architects to submit their work for a chance for it to
feature in the exhibition: summer.royalacademy.org.uk
Submissions will open and entry forms will be available from Wednesday 7th January to Wednesday 11th February 2026 or sooner if the cap of 18,000 entries has been reached. The RA expects to receive up to 18,000 entries and around 1200 works, in a range of media, will go on display.
The Summer Exhibition is the world’s largest open submission contemporary art show which has taken place every year without interruption since 1769. The members of the Summer Exhibition Committee serve in rotation, ensuring that every year the exhibition has a distinctive character, with each Royal Academician responsible for a particular gallery space. Works from all over the world are judged democratically on merit and the final selection is made during the eight-day hang within the galleries. The majority of works will be for sale, offering visitors an opportunity to purchase original work. Funds raised support the exhibiting artists, the postgraduate students studying in the RA Schools and the work of the Royal Academy.
Summer Exhibition 2026 Committee Royal Academicians: Eileen Cooper, Michael Craig-Martin
Ryan Gander, Oona Grimes, Katherine Jones, Goshka Macuga, Humphrey Ocean, Peter St John (Adam Caruso and Peter St John RA)
The Committee will be chaired by the President of the Royal Academy, Rebecca Salter.
RA Summer Exhibition 2026, 16th June – Sunday 23rd August 2026 Royal Academy of Arts
More Ryan Gander on FAD Magazine: HERE
History of the Summer Exhibition
One of the founding principles of the Royal Academy of Arts was to “mount an annual exhibition open to all artists of distinguished merit” to finance the training of young artists in the Royal Academy Schools. The Summer Exhibition has been held every year without interruption since 1769 and continues to play a significant part in raising funds to finance the students of the RA Schools. The RA Schools is the longest established art school in the UK and offers the only free three-year postgraduate programme in Europe.
As the world’s largest open submission contemporary art show, the Summer Exhibition provides a unique platform for emerging and established artists to showcase their works to an international audience, comprising a range of media from painting and printmaking to photography, sculpture, architecture and film. Royal Academicians are automatically entitled to submit up to six works to the Summer Exhibition and the rest of the exhibition features work by those invited by the committee and external entrants.
