RA Schools Show 2025
If you like attending degree shows but haven’t ever been to one at the RA then let me reset your expectations. The 2025 cohort is the smallest group to graduate since the formation of the RA Schools in 1767. There are only 8 artists presenting work. Eight! This means everyone has been given plenty of space, often multiple rooms, to stage their presentations. But that also means there’s less to see overall than you often find in a single room at some other uni degree shows. Don’t let that put you off.
What you get at the RA Schools show is quality over quantity. Each of the rooms is expertly laid out to create maximum impact of the few works being shown. Anecdotally, I wasn’t actually a fan of many of the individual pieces, but the production quality was top notch across the board and I was thoroughly engaged in each and every room. Well, almost.
With only eight artists showing, I’ve decided to write a short review for each of them.
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Alex Margo Arden (@olddrag) — The Queen at a crime scene is such an unexpected thing that after I stopped laughing I spent the rest of my afternoon researching the real royal engagement on which this is based. But is this art? Let the debate begin.
Gusty Ferro (@gusty_ferro) — I’ve been following this artist for a while so I walked into this room with a bit of bias and my expectations weren’t met. There’s some great interventions, such as the semi-transparent door screen, and I suspect it would have been a much better experience if I had been able to visit during a live sound performance because overall it’s not very engaging in silence.
Esther Gamsu (esthergamsu.com) — Sparse, quirky, beautifully staged and very confusing. Two conceptual rooms present a visual mystery that will leave you with far more questions than answers. You’ll either love it or shrug your shoulders as you turn around and walk away.
Charlotte Winifred Guérard (@charlotte_winifred_guerard) — Two radically different rooms are each optimised with visually engaging hangs that draw you in and make you want to examine each artwork. Turns out none of it met my personal preference, but I was thrilled by the way the installs invited me to figure that out for myself.
Suleman Aqeel Khilji (@suleman_khilji) — I’m really not a fan of the soft focus, washed-out figurative trend, but these are done exceptionally well. My favourite, and by far the most intriguing, was the pocket sized work painted on a cigarette pack.
Rosa Klerkx (@rosaklerkx) — I can’t explain why, but I could have sat all day long and watched these videos of people awkwardly posing and balancing. Video art always works best when it catches you off guard and makes you do a double take.
Bishwadhan Rai (@bishwadhanrai) — The RA’s bio page states the artist “creates sculptures, installations, and films that record affect, memory, or atmosphere, valuing the vulnerable, incomplete, slight, and poetic as a form of rigour” which means this underwhelming room full of random stuff scattered across the floor actually has meaning. Just not for me.
James Sibley (jamesibley.co.uk) — There are some fascinating objects and quirky nostalgia (the E.T. doll drew far too much of my attention!) but I eventually stopped looking closely at any of them once I realised they weren’t the main takeaway. I was far more engaged by the powerful reminder that the most impactful way to manipulate physical objects and space is with the intangible: shadow and light.
Plan your visit
‘RA Schools Show 2025’ runs until 13-29 June 2025.
Free
Visit the official webpage and follow @royalacademyschools on Instagram for more info about the show and venue.
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