Slade MA/MFA Degree Show 2025
The Slade MFA 2025 show can be frustrating at times. There are too many technically skilled painters chasing the washed-out, soft focus trend without doing anything new or interesting with it. And then you’ll stumble into a room from someone like Seonhee Jung (@jung_seonhee) that thoughtfully meanders from ghostly figurative to finely detailed abstracted scenes, interspersed with subtle sculptural interludes such as a single feather on a tiny pedestal. It’s a calm and meditative experience that draws you in.
Sometimes all it takes is one subtle thing that stands out from the rest of the room to hold your attention. The spiky ceramic stools by Katja Farin (@katjafarin), the penitent figures with the world bearing down on their backs by Shiying Song (@susie.xls), or how Rebekah Hofmann (@rbkkah) uses hoists not just to hold her video screens but to convey the heavy weight of care.
I suspect, however, that most visitors will prefer the artists playing at the other end of the spectrum from subtle. I haven’t a clue what Stegodyphus (@stegodyphus) is trying to say with the colourful prams and matching avant-garde fashion shoot. Is this a mocking commentary on the infantilising eye-candy of social media? Who knows, but it definitely makes you stop to contemplate it. As does the heavy smell of cloves and lumps of sacks from Gabriel Kidd (@ephemricala) that, upon closer inspection, might be sleeping mystical beings or decomposing corpses. You decide. Both these artist’s rooms don’t just grab your attention they vigorously shake it out of you, but it was the quiet and sparse installs where I spent the most time leaning in to examine what was happening.
Maya Silverberg (@maya.silverberg) understands that trompe l’œil on its own is much less interesting than when it’s subverted and used in unexpected ways, and I appreciated the inclusion of a handout that explained her intentions. Davide Gibson (@davidemgibson) looked like he was invigilating an almost empty space, but mindful visitors who take the time to question what is actually the art will have an intellectually rewarding experience. Liam Mullen (@lsemullen) has created a sonic install of minimalistic beauty, hiding the speakers in colourful bird houses. And Lou Qianxi (@luoqianxi) presents a series of seemingly random works that collectively convey the love, care, frustration and wide range of burdens that permanently weigh you down once you become a mother.
MFA shows are the equivalent of professional sports playoffs: average doesn’t cut it, and almost every artist appears to have upped their game. At this show you’ll encounter finely honed technical skills, artistic practices with a clear definition or sense of purpose, and installations that prove the artist understands not just how to make good work but how to present it in the best way to convey their message to an audience. The challenge, however, is locating the artist rooms where all three of those skills are in abundance. Many aim to impress, except a casual study of the details reveals quality has too often been relegated in favour of quantity. There are far too many rooms throwing far too much stuff at the wall to see what sticks. At one point I walked around a corner and snapped a few photos until the lack of a name tag made me realise it was actually a storeroom full of junk.
That’s why I’m thankful for showstoppers like Play Ground by Varvara Uhlik (@varavarka) that highlight the vast gap that often exists between a very good and an exceptional install. The details are meticulous, right down to the vinyl’d wall text, and its stark and striking visual has a compositional simplicity that belies the extremely complex practicalities it took to make it happen. Rooms like this are an exhilarating reminder why ‘less is more’ is a common adage, because they leave you eagerly anticipating what might come next.
Plan your visit
‘Slade MA/MFA Degree Show’ runs 14-22 June 2025.
Visit the official site and follow @sladeschool on Instagram for more info about the venue.
PLUS…
Subscribe to the Weekly Newsletter. (It’s FREE!)