The RA’s annual Summer Exhibition opens tomorrow with works by David Adjaye, Yinka Shonibare, Isaac Julien, Gilbert & George and Phyllida Barlow among the 1100 exhibits on display.

The show remains the world’s largest open submission exhibition and a celebration of emerging and established contemporary artists working across painting, printmaking, photography, sculpture, architecture, film and performance art.

Ahead of the exhibition’s 250th anniversary, this year’s show has been coordinated by Royal Academician and Keeper of the Academy, Eileen Cooper.

The Architecture Gallery has been curated by Iranian-born architect Farshid Moussavi RA. With a focus on the intricate building plans architects produce, the exhibition showcases drawings by Richard Rogers, Grafton Architects, Bjarke Ingels and Eduardo Souto de Moura as well as submissions by young architects.

The exhibition runs from the 13 June through to the 20 August and will be complemented by two immersive festivals hosted by the RA Lates programme on the first and last Saturday of the Summer Exhibition.

RA Lates: The Electric Forest
Experience art, music, cocktails, maypole dancing, pagan cinema and more as the RA celebrates the Summer Solstice. Wander through the courtyard, temporary nomadic yurt and gilded Fine Rooms to discover neon UV life drawing, maypole dancing, Pagan crafts, Wicker Man sculptures, floral installations, secret bars, live chamber music, ritualistic performance art, interactive digital graffiti, body painting, ‘70s disco DJs and more.
Saturday 17 June
19.00 – 23.45 Tickets

RA Lates: The Other Paradise
The RA opens its doors to host a festival inspired by Paradise. Discover an immersive production of Milton’s Paradise Lost, palm trees, secret bars, mermaid life drawing, tropical disco dancing, Persephone-inspired performance art, Egyptian holographic fairy tales, talks on Greek mythology, utopia and much more.
Saturday 19 August
19.00 – 23.45 Tickets

Find out more: Royal Academy Summer Exhibition