FRANCIS SULTANA shares his ninth monthly arts and culture column in collaboration with Times of Malta, in which he presents a set of must-see local and international events he encourages readers to explore.

The London art scene is back in business, and the past two weeks have seen a flurry of openings and parties, including two of the social calendar’s biggest art events, the Royal Academy’s Summer Exhibition and the Serpentine Galleries summer party, as well as the welcome return of Masterpiece London.

The Royal Academy has been running its summer exhibition for 254 years. Open to anyone with artistic ambitions, across any media from painting to conceptual to sculpture to architecture, this year there were 15,000 entries, of which just 1,400 made the final cut, which just shows how incredibly competitive the selection process is and what an achievement it is for any artist who makes it into the hallowed galleries. 

What is so wonderful about this exhibition is that it is incredibly democratic, and artists who may be just starting their careers could find their works hung alongside pieces by Tracey Emin or David Hockney, RA.

This year’s theme was the climate, which is very timely. Sculptor Alison Wilding, RA, organised the exhibition, which is no doubt why architecture has taken centre stage. As well as work by Boonserm Premthada using elephant dung bricks there is also Marina Tabassum’s temporary housing solutions using reclaimed materials for refugees fleeing the climate crisis.

‘Rotate V’ by Vanessa Jackson RA, currently on display at the Royal Academy’s ‘Summer Exhibition’. Photo courtesy of the artist

Over the years, work by some of the biggest names in the art world, like Wolfgang Tillman and Wim Enders, has been shown and this year you can see work by Gavin Turk, Harvey & Ackroyd, The Singh Twins, Jim Dine, Ben Edge and Cornelia Parker. 

One of the most thoughtful installations on show is by Spanish artist Christina Iglesias, whose work entitled Humid Labyrinth Room in the Annenberg Courtyard tackles the ideas of climate change and the environment. Iglesias created a wonderful installation for us here in Malta for MICAS last year and it was great to see her rise to the challenge of creating such an impactful piece for the Royal Academy.

The pieces at the Summer Exhibition are on sale, and it has always been the place where many collectors discover new and emerging talent – although it’s worth keeping your eyes peeled as there are often some famous names in the mix; once Winston Churchill exhibited a piece under a pseudonym, and more recently comedians Joe Lycett and Harry Hill have both exhibited. I thoroughly recommend you add the Summer Exhibition to your diary this summer should you be visiting London. The show runs until August 21.

Notes from ‘The Vernon Spring’ in the Serpentine Pavilion 2022. Black Chapel designed by Theaster Gates as part of the Serpentine Summer Programme 2022. Photo: Hugo Glendinning

Another must-see is the annual pavilion at the Serpentine Galleries. The 2022 pavilion is a black chapel designed by Chicago-based artists Theaster Gates, supported by Adjaye Associates. The chapel will host a series of events, including Brian Eno, The Black Monks, Corinne Bailey Rae and Moses Boyd. Within the pavilion are a series of tar paintings, and the whole pavilion has been conceived as a space for gatherings, meditations with a focus on sacred music, which is aimed to bring reflection, connection and joy to the public, all things that we are certainly in need of these days.

Alongside the pavilion, there will be exhibitions by Dominque Gonzalex-Foerster: Alienarium 5 and Back to Earth, a new exhibition with a live programme also responding to the climate emergency. The London premiere of the renowned climate opera Sun & Sea will also be hosted during the summer. The pavilion will be on show until September 4.

‘Sun & Sea’ by Elon-Shoenholz, Los Angeles, October 2021, currently on display at the Serpentine Galleries. Photo: Serpentine Galleries

It was great to return to Masterpiece London, the first time since 2019. Masterpiece art fair is where international collectors can buy the finest works of art, design, furniture and jewellery – from antiquity to the present day.

I was especially impressed by this year’s Masterpiece Presents… which featured two monumental light installations by Pakistani-American artist Anila Quayyum Agha who has created an illuminated cube, fabricated from laser-cut steel into which elaborate patterns had been cut, which were suspended and lit from within, casting a lace-like floor-to-ceiling shadow, that completely transform the surrounding environment, alluding to the richly ornamented public spaces, such as mosques, that Agha was excluded from as a female growing up in Lahore.

Agha’s second installation at Masterpiece, This is NOT a Refuge II, explores the loss of family and home that stems from displacement and resettlement.

‘Quarry Road’ by Liane Lang currently on display at the Royal Academy’s ‘Summer Exhibition’. Photo courtesy of the artist

I would urge everyone (current flight issues aside) to try and get on a plane this summer and visit London whilst the sun is shining and the artworld has come out.

I will be taking August off and will return with my next column in September. If you would like to check out what I am up to each month, follow me on Instagram @francis_sultana.