Young Artists' Summer Show 2021
13 July - 8 August 2021
Clore Learning Centre
Tues–Sun: 10am–6pm
Admission free but booking is required. Your free ticket gives you access to all our free displays, shops and cafés.
Friends of the RA go free
Now in its third year, the Young Artists’ Summer Show brings together work by primary and secondary-level students from across the UK and beyond.
From sandwiches to cyclopes, magical sewing boxes and ships in soup, the artists featured in this year’s Young Artists’ Summer Show have astounded us once again.
Our judges were overwhelmed by the talent on display as they reviewed over 33,000 submissions to select the 572 artworks now exhibited online.
Made by young artists aged 5–19 from across the UK and beyond, this online exhibition is filled with the imagination, insight and curiosity of young people.
Tues–Sun: 10am–6pm
Admission free but booking is required. Your free ticket gives you access to all our free displays, shops and cafés.
Friends of the RA go free
Supporters
Made possible by
Robin Hambro
Highlights from the Young Artists' Summer Show 2021
The Marriage,
I created this work using found objects around the home. I wanted to create a scene of the wedding because so many events were cancelled due to Covid-19 and I wanted to create a celebration in my home. I enjoyed bringing the characters to life
The Willow Tree,
I was inspired during a walk in the park when I saw a large weeping willow. When I got home I kept on drawing and drawing weeping willows until I got the right one. If you look very closely you can see a creature. It was born there but never had the courage to come out
Mixed Emotions,
This work was created during lockdown. I felt mixed with emotions about how life was changing. I missed school and my friends and family so I made this art piece with my mum, called 'Mixed Emotions'
Meeting My Neighbours!,
Lockdown has been very hard. Our street was so quiet and days have passed without seeing anyone. I came up with the idea of a portrait service to draw my neighbours and have had at least 10 minutes to chat to each. Setting up my daily stall after school has been great, I finally could talk to many neighbours and was able to make a quick drawing. Everyone engaged in a chat and I was able to express the faces of my street. Everyone was happy and more importantly, I made new friends and have talked to people I never met. My neighbours were able to choose the colours representing them best. I am very proud to have such a great street
Van,
Often I walk outside at night, off the main high street, and it's a side of town that not many people get to see. Walking around these places instantly instills a feeling of being out of place and trying to capture that was my goal. I came across this van that hadn't moved for weeks, until one day it went. I tried focusing less on the subject and more on creating an atmosphere. Not many people get to see Cardigan like this and I enjoyed exposing its more eerie side
Mwene's Emoji,
This painting is to illustrate the value of joy when making art by highlighting it through the use of childlike creativity. My brother stands as a proud artist beside his emoji-inspired self-portrait, in a gallery setting. This is to elevate the value of the creative artwork of a child because a seven-year-old's work is now in a gallery - a place that unanimously agreed that any work there is valuable. Hence, creating an image of my brother being a talented artist, validating the idea of childlike creative freedom is important when creating art. Furthermore, even as he tries to appear as a professional artist, the innocence of the work and happiness on his face does not fail to shine through. Emphasising that enjoying the process of making art can heavily influence the way the work would be perceived
Deep Inside,
I enjoyed blending different colours to make my artwork. I think the dark colours make it look really deep, and I like how this makes me feel inside
Blackbird on a Branch,
I did this piece because on the day I saw a blackbird on a branch and I also wanted to practice drawing hands
Inside the Young Artists’ Summer Show 2021
Our judges were overwhelmed by the talent on display in the third year of the Young Artists’ Summer Show. From sandwiches to cyclopes, the 2021 exhibition is filled with the imagination, insight and curiosity of young people - something that is more vital than ever. See the exhibition and hear from some of the selected artists in this video.