A-Level Summer Exhibition Online 2016

Playlist

13 June - 21 August 2016

Online

Free

Selected from over 2,000 submissions, the A-level Summer Exhibition Online is a showcase of Britain's best young artistic talent.

This year, 1,400 aspiring artists attending sixth form colleges or schools, submitted their work to the A-level Summer Exhibition Online 2016. Take a look at this exhibition of 46 exceptional works of art, selected by our expert panel: Royal Academician Bob and Roberta Smith, Head of Architecture Kate Goodwin, and RA Schools student Claire Undy.

Having your work chosen to appear in the A-level Summer Exhibition Online is a great achievement for young artists in the UK. Many of these students will go on to develop their talents at art school and in their careers. Students from all over the UK enter their works and the exhibition showcases a rich variety of styles and media: from drawing and video to sculpture and prints, painting and photography.

Held to coincide with the world’s largest open-entry exhibition, the Summer Exhibition, this online equivalent for artists aged 16–18, signals an exciting future for art in this country. Be among the first to discover it now.

“The exhibition includes work that is thoughtful, almost psychedelic, poetic, elegiac, but also funny and romantic. We, the judges, loved looking at the breadth and skill of all the entries. Congratulations to all the young artists who submitted works to the A-Level Summer Exhibition Online. Good luck to all these students, and we hope to see you in Art school!” – Bob and Roberta Smith RA

See our shortlist here.

Free

Girlfriend in a Coma

Harry,
John Leggott College
I am influenced by Ben Tom's work for Dazed and Confused and have also gathered a lot of inspiration from the Wes Anderson film Moonrise Kingdom for this image. The use of angle and composition that he uses in his films has greatly influenced my work. I am also inspired by Hick Duarte's series youth and Vivienne Sassen's work with line and colour, especially coloured film
Circle of life,
The Howard School
This image was created in the dark room, it took me a few attempts to get it perfect because I had to expose the photographic paper twice and move the objects around to achieve the desired effect
Edmund,
King Edward's School, Witley
This piece is based upon gender and the ever growing culture of colours being designated to a person for their gender. Here I am tackling that social construct by influencing pink and blues to contrast the mood of how I truly feel as a person
Nostalgia,
The Tiffin Girls' School
I wanted to convey the warm and welcoming community that I experienced as a child through my interpretation of the town I grew up in. I chose colours that complimented each other giving a dreamy, nostalgic atmosphere and inspired by the artist, Gerhard Richter, I created a blurred, fading effect. This conveyed the gradual disappearance of the warmth and hospitality of society as I grew up
Scrap bot (SCRAPPIE),
Southgate School
I Wanted to make a companion out of found scrap metal found in various places
Dreaming,
Merchant Taylors School
I have always had very vivid dreams which I am extremely fascinated by. I decided to record them in sketch or note form every night. This painting is result of combining my best dreams (including skiing uphill, and exploring a lake in a mountainous desert) and my worst nightmares (including having my hand taken by some ants). There are a lot of other small personal details too. My main influence is Dali: his flawless style, and how he and the Surrealists look towards subconscious delusions (dreams) for inspiration
The House at the End of the Street,
Varndean College
I took a bus out of town late at night to capture this photo. The only illumination was a streetlight and the passing cars. In reality it was a very dark setting, requiring an exposure time of around 35 seconds. I've just started trying to shoot night photography having been hugely inspired by Patrick Joust, whose works in Baltimore are unrivaled in my opinion
Starry Night No. 2,
The Tiffin Girls' School
This is a piece inspired by the colours used in Sarah Awad's work. I wanted to capture a very mundane scene, a park bench with a view over a park, in a surreal way
On A Clear Day You Can See Yourself,
John Taylor High School
This piece, inspired in part by Renaissance portraiture, is a representation of my own personal ambitions. The title, in fact, is taken from an American self-help book I once saw on the internet, I've never read it, but it sounded kitsch and I liked the sentiment with respect to this painting. My intent was to strip the scene back and suggest a missing link between where I am now and where I want to be in a year's time. Often we know where we want to be, but there's something in the way that tries to stop us getting there
Sea,
Abbotsfield
For this photograph I was inspired by the storm arising over the sea in the distance. I also liked how there was only one boat which adds a particular mood to the image; a single boat taking on a storm almost
Paradise Lost (multicolour variation),
The Manchester Grammar School
This screen print was inspired by the epic poem, Paradise Lost by John Milton. I was enthralled by the brilliant imagery conveyed by Milton's words, and I was drawn into one quote in particular, "the mind is a place of its own, and can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven". I used this quote as the basis of my design, and following the theme of the poem, chose to portray the Devil leading a group of people downwards, into the pits of hell- as symbolised by the increasing depth of red colour
Childhood Memories,
William Morris Sixth Form
This painting is based on a theme "Childhood Memories". I had been inspired by Marc Chagall's colours used in some of his monochrome paintings, which I thought would link very well with my theme. I used different tones of blues to make the image look more dreamy to symbolise memory. This painting shows an activity most children do during their childhood, which I think is very memorable because a park is a place where they are able to have fun
Body and Soul, Music and Rhythm,
Queen's College
Working towards this piece I have explored youth, black identity, pop culture and decoration. I have fused all these elements together in order to create a surrealist portrait. In this painting it was my aim to convey a sense of inner mindfulness and movement. I hoped to achieve this through fluid shape and colour
Ophelia,
Southgate School
Much like a lot of my other work, I was highly influenced by the Pre-Raphaelite era and the paintings by John Everett Millais. I wanted to re-capture and create a modern version of Millais's Ophelia. Gregory Crewdson also helped to form my idea for this modern Ophelia with his incredible photograph of a woman in white laying in a living room flooded with water. My photograph is almost a recreation of Crewdson's photo, however the Barbie doll gives the photo a lifeless and false meaning, therefore we wouldn't sympathise with the woman in the photo in Millais's painting

Revolution 9

Cubed Fruit,
Bedford College
I got my idea for this art piece from the well known modified watermelons sold in Japanese supermarkets, so I decided to paint a different range of fruits
Untitled ,
Bedford College
This is a painting of my boyfriend using a dotted, smudged effect in acrylic paint. I was inspired by the artist Thomas Saliot who uses this type of effect to paint in
Urban Metropolis,
The Holt School
I explored the contrasts in architecture for my A2 art personal investigation. I explored a range of contrasts and my project started to focus on contrasting materials and textures in architecture. My final piece is a sculpture which highlights architectural contrasts. The height emphasises the increasing growth of cities and urbanisation around the world. The individual ceramic blocks represent historic architecture. As the sculpture grows in height the ceramic blocks meet with the wire structure which symbolised where old meets new in cities today. I was inspired by the work of Rowena Brown, Barnaby Barford and Du Fil De Fer wire art
Bitter Sweet,
Guernsey Grammar School and Sixth Form Centre
Bitter Sweet was originally inspired by movement. I wanted to explore how a still object could have motion added to it. I covered my model in 10 cans of treacle and photographed him. The way that the treacle ran and oozed over the model gave him an extra element of movement. The fact I used treacle was inspired by the photographer Blake Little who photographs people covered in honey. He says that his models appear to be "preserved in amber". I wanted to challenge this idea by using a different material to express movement rather than preservation
Frankenfruit,
St Benedict's School
This piece was influenced by Marc Quinn's Eternal Spring pieces. His concept of preserving natures flowers in an unnatural way inspired me to do the same with fruit and vegetables. However in my piece, instead of preserving them in their natural state as Quinn does, I peeled, bit chucks out of, chopped and mismatched the fruit and vegetables and then sewed them back together to create a mismatched form. This piece challenges society's need to constantly change and manipulate the standards of normality and beauty, in order to please ourselves
Brunswick Centre,
Beaminster School
During the exam, I had explored the different architecture styles in London. I was coming across the Brutalist architecture in Brunswick Centre, to experiment with line and pattern, then exaggerated the gray which often found in this architecture style. As well as to represented the gray and gloomy London sky
Zika Portrait,
Shoreham Academy
Layered Paper cut out's in a bright and bold colours to make the portrait vibrant. Includes reference to Brazil in patterns with their nation's flower emblem, and native birds and shapes from the flag. My inspiration was cultural, looking into the Zika virus and the impact it had on the Brazil's culture, creating a piece that celebrates the strength of those affected. Influences from artists Brianna McCarthy and Ai Weiwei
White Sheets,
Charterhouse
This painting of my brother and mother lying in bed on a Sunday morning captures a moment of total serenity, yet it is also suggestive of incest, and portrays the ideas behind Freud's "Oedipal Complex"
Collections and Identity,
Brighton Hove and Sussex Sixth Form College
This series is focussed on gathering and constructing collections, exploring personal possessions to form sculptural portraits, which represent the following relationships: Myself, Boyfriend, Family , and Friends. This piece aims to demonstrate identity and effectively communicate the reason why the objects are linked together within each portrait
Witch of the West,
Bedford College
My first piece was a painting of the wicked witch of the west from the Wizard of Oz. I wanted to recreate a famous witch to showcase the typical features used to describe witches.The Wizard of Oz is an old story and the image of the witch is dated and stereotypical
Llivorem,
Woodford County High School
I wanted to explore a sense of self with his work. Clothes are a very important part of life, and to me are considered a freedom of expression and an art in itself. These stripes are my school shirt, clothes I wore everyday for 5 years, and something that will always be a memory to me

I love how the shirts create an entity within themselves, and without actually having a physical person in them, you still get a sense of a person, emotions, actions etc. One of my main influences was Alison Watt, and amazing fabric painter.
My Lobster Lady,
Varndean College
I am mainly influenced by Jesse Treece, Beth Hoeckle and Eugenia Loli. All three feature women side profiles and figures. All the images used in my collage where found in vintage magazines. I tried to find images that were of a similar colour palette. I laid the yellow digger over the woman as the bend in her body matched the joint in the diggers arm

When the Sun Goes Down

Harry,
St Mary's Catholic High School
I think in art, mastering oil painting is the real challenge - which is why it's my favourite media to paint with. This portrait is of my brother with swollen features (i.e a black eye, cut lip, etc.). I painted this study from a photograph I took of my brother where I had used makeup to create the bruises and cuts. I wanted to contrast the skin tones with the darker tones of the bruising. I love using oil paint and I think throughout practice I have developed a certain technique - rough brush strokes with confident brush movements
Portrait of the Artist's Mother,
Liverpool Blue Coat School
In this painting she has a tired body and smile. I was inspired to paint this as I wanted to pay tribute to my mother. We look a lot alike, as well. It was stirring to realise how similar we are.

I was influenced by light, colour, emotions, and how I could represent the comforts of the bed without reducing the emotion in her face, which is already quiet. I was also influenced by flow of the duvet and how it can be inducible in non-flowing things if you wish it so
Portrait of the Artist,
Liverpool Blue Coat School
This is an introspective work. I had recently turned 17 and was lamenting the loss of time, how it seemed many doors were closing at once and I was quickly losing the opportunity to grasp my youth. I was kinda angry, really, just frustrated, at - retrospectively - nothing

I painted it at a time when I was constantly ruminating, self-analysing, introspecting all the time, seeing this person everyday, wanting to deconstruct him, argue, question him on his motives, why did he feel this way? Why did he want to do the things he did?
Vigilant,
The Thomas Hardye School
This image was a part of my mental health based series, named Destructive. The influences behind this project was from personal expierences I have dealt with, and also from people around me who suffer from mental illnesses. With this image, I intended on demonstrating how having an anxiety disorder makes you incredibly aware of your surroundings, and how it makes you paranoid over the smallest of things, even in situations or environments where you are usually your calmest
Fresh Meat,
Sawtry Village Academy
This painting was influenced by Francis Bacon and the Chapman Brothers. The fascination with brutality, which in turn reflects part of the very essence of the human condition
One Child Policy,
The Sixth Form College Farnborough
My piece reflects the impact of the "One Child Policy" placed in China through my own perspective. I aimed to demonstrate how adoption (due to the policy) can leave you questioning your ethnicity and make you feel marginalised between two cultures as you are brought up in white culture, not knowing your own, but people expect you to act and know Asian culture just by your physical ethnicity. I have also interviewed a few of my friends who are adopted from China and have resulted in the same feelings as mine about being adopted and the questions you ask yourself
Humpty Drunkty,
Lady Margaret School
I imagined a new ending for the nursery rhyme "Humpty Dumpty". In my rendition, Humpty Dumpty "had a great fall" not only literally, but also figuratively, turning to alcohol in an attempt to forget his problems and falling off a building as a result. This piece is a dark parody of the realities of fairy tales and the result when the "child-friendly" filter is removed
Stripped,
John Leggott College
This photo was taken in an abandoned house in Haxey as part of my "Links and Connections" A Level Photography project. I wanted to explore the effect that passing time had on buildings that were no longer used. I also wanted to accentuate the fact that these buildings were once a place that somebody called home, but they have been left alone for so long that they are now uninhabitable. I was inspired by Anna Mika who photographs urban sites that are about to be destroyed, in order to draw attention to them and remind people of their history
Lady Garden,
St Olave's Grammar School
In this piece I wanted to explore female sexuality as being just as relevant and acceptable as male sexuality. In the society we live in today, female sexuality is either a particularly taboo subject, which is shied away from completely as if it is something to be ashamed of; or it is over glamourised in popular culture, playing a key role in the objectification of women. I hope that this piece shows a sense of equality between men and women and their sexuality
Self Portrait - Monotype,
Woodford County High School
I wanted to look at identity through this project, so I produced self portraits in a variety of media in order to explore my own identity. I particularly enjoyed working with monotypes because each print comes out differently. I also like the way texture can be created through manipulating the ink with different brushes and tools
Pede-strain,
Xaverian College
This painting is one of a series of ten which focuses on crowds. Social interactions with "strangers" have always fascinated me, by nature they come in such varied forms with little to no indicators of what to expect, making it near impossible to predict your journey visually when you set out to walk in public spaces. This alone has always been apparently "strange" to me but further still, the individuals that attract your attention and lead to questions simply by their presence, allures me even further. I tried to represent this with the blurred background contrasting with the crisp figure
Untitled but Important,
Bedford College
This piece is based on the LGBT flag. I believe that LGBT people still face a lot of hate and problems. I wanted to do this for them!
Overall my pieces are based on my common theme of three things that bother me about society today
Brought it on themselves,
Birkenhead Sixth Form College
Triptych of a couple ignoring the homeless subject, the homeless subject (Darren), and two policemen. Painted to highlight the new homeless fines and how the homeless are dismissed daily. I used negative space to portray how the public ignored them and used Charming Baker as influence because I wanted to utilise the pattern on the wallpaper as camouflage. The policemen were purposely faceless as they were used to represent the state
Abstract Vomit,
Lady Margaret School
This piece has been created from a series of photographs I took of artificially made vomit. The idea was to take something grotesque and make it beautiful. My technique was to abstract it and make it bright a bold. Not just to make it beautiful but something you can't ignore
Ignorance,
Liverpool Blue Coat School
Influenced by the theme of "consequences". This piece looks at how consequences can be caused by ignorance. I have tried to contextualise this concept by bringing in the idea of ignorance in politics and how ignorance amongst the world's political leaders and influences can and has led to consequences that can be seen and felt globally

Nu. ages

St Dunstans College
I made this short film as an attempt to visually translate all the exciting ideas and images that can go through someones head, even against their will! Combining adverts, movies, and paintings to small animations was a way to express how everything we see around us gets mixed in an incoherent fashion within our imagination.