Nigel Ip

The Royal Academy of Arts’ Summer Exhibition has been getting more interesting lately. This year, for its 257th edition, they hired the architect Farshid Moussavi to revamp the display on the theme of ‘Dialogues’, as a ‘meeting of forms, disciplines, histories, and perspectives’.

For the first time ever, the architecture room is gone. Instead, it has been integrated among the other art forms, reasserting its historical position as one of the seven major Arts. My gosh, it works so incredibly well. The entire space feels much more open and intuitive, as if the galleries had undergone a bit of landscaping. One no longer goes hunting for the architectural plans and models; they just exist around you like real buildings do in daily life.

So much is new about this year’s show. The Wohl Central Hall now offers a dramatic monochrome entrance to those entering and exiting the space. The visitor route has been inverted so that you move anti-clockwise instead, starting in the Lecture Room where a central platform establishes architecture’s prevailing presence.

For those who went the traditional route clockwise – as I did – Room III has had a major overhaul in the form of impressive dangling pieces. For once, this massive space feels truly alive and utilised in a manner I haven’t seen in quite some time.

As for the works exhibited, there is a good spread and balance of themes and subject matter. The hang in each room makes no attempt to stand out from the rest, rejecting adventure and playful sensationalism in favour of harmony with its environment.

As has been the case in recent years, the show no longer screams of socio-political activism; their website also includes a much-needed disclaimer: ‘Inclusion of works in the Summer Exhibition should not be read as the RA supporting any particular artist’s point of view.’

Overall, I felt this year’s Summer Exhibition returned to the innovative magic of over a decade ago. It might be one of the best editions I’ve visited so far.

Summer Exhibition 2025 (17 June – 17 August 2025) is at the Royal Academy of Arts, London, https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/