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Where Artists Gather - And Art Breaks

Lavinia Young

Summer Exhibition 2009 Royal Academy London

Has anyone else been up to the Summer Exhibition this year yet ?
I'd be interested in their comments.
I try to go every year as it is usually a barometer for me of contemporary work and well known artists.
It is also an enjoyable day out.

It may be plebian of me but I tend to categorise in my head, and sometimes on the catalogue each piece
of work that is hung or on display.

The three personal categories are as follows :

1, I wish I had done that !

2, I know I can do that !

3, I'm so glad that I didn't do that !

This year for me only two came into the first category, A few into the second, and most into the third....not sure what im saying here but either im getting better so am not so easily impressed or standards are getting lower....??? Am I just turning into a critical old misery-guts ??

Also the photos in the catalogue were obviously photoshop enhanced as they look so much better than the originals. What does anyone else think ??

Lavinia

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I did not manage to go this year as I was traveling but the feedback was not very positive from the people I know that went. Mind you, last years didn't seem much better. It would be fun one year to do a b-uncut artists show - it might even be more lively!

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I think you might be on to something there... Itwas all so predictable, people chancing their arms I think...

No there is something very uninspiring happening there ....I havnt looked again at the catalogue yet so am not sure who was on the selection panel....maybe they 'are not up to it.'

Maybe it's time to go back to the basics. Maybe it's just a case of..'If the media or a backer' latch onto you, you are made, never mind if what you are actually producing is crap.

I saw people struggling to find anything that they could latch onto to make some kind of comment.

There were well established artists, C Aitchison, Cy Twombly, but with nothing new for the viewer, the same old tried and true format, almost the same images they have churned out for the last decade. I was bored.
Tracy Emins..I want it back, that feeling again was I think an insult to my eyeballs at a cool £90,000 !!

I want to go to be impressed and inspired but the bag of vegetable crisps I purchased in the courtyard were frankly more memorable.

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Hi Lavinia
I entered this year and was as usual turned down & when I go up there I can see there is no way my work will ever get in. The prints were ok but the RA artists work was as usual very similar to all their other work ( ie Ken Howard) and the abstracts chosen by John Hoyland were uninspiring. They like quite formulaic material and they don't like challenging themes. A b- uncut show like the alternative Salon would be great!

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I managed to go, haven't been for many years. I went with two artist chums to do a reconnoitre as, over a beer, we thought, for a laugh, we might try to get in next year. The last time I tried was 1969, what does that tell you about my attitude to the RA annual.

I concur with Lavinia. One or two works I found inspiring. For the most part I regard it as a private back patting club for those on the inside. Noted was the Damien Hurst work only because he turned down their offer to become an RA, they don't seem to hold a grudge about that.

Did see the Tracy Emin large abstract, must have taken her a good twenty minutes to do, priced at £94,000 and sold. Nice work if you can get it.

Sid

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