One of London’s most established art institutions, the Royal Academy of Arts, is hosting its 257th Summer Exhibition from 17 June to 17 August 2025 in the Main Galleries at Burlington House. Among the participating artists this year are Ryan Gander and Hussein Chalayan.
Held every year since 1769 without interruption, the exhibition this year turns its focus to themes like ecology, coexistence, and survival — exploring how art can respond to today’s shared concerns.
Architect and Royal Academician Farshid Moussavi is the coordinator of this year’s show, with Richard Wilson serving on the exhibition committee. Moussavi emphasizes that art is not only visual but also a means of raising essential questions: “This year’s exhibition highlights art’s potential to build sensitivity around issues like ecology, survival, and living together.”
Royal Academician artist Ryan Gander presents a large-scale outdoor work that stands out in the Annenberg Courtyard. The piece consists of five inflatable spheres, each three meters in diameter, inscribed with absurd questions developed with children. The work plays with the idea of curiosity and values the kind of questioning that children naturally do — the kind adults often dismiss as illogical. It invites visitors to engage with the piece somewhere between reflection and play.
Hüseyin Çağlayan contributes two works from his “Fake Celebrations” series, which critiques the increasing sense of digital isolation. These pieces, produced using flocking on copper and aluminium alloy, reflect his ongoing dialogue between art, fashion, and technology. The works were first shown in “Souffleur”, an exhibition organized in collaboration between Sakıp Sabancı Museum and PILEVNELİ, which ran from 16 September 2022 to 8 January 2023 in Istanbul.
Summer Exhibition 2025 continues the Royal Academy’s long-standing tradition of supporting artists and creating space for public engagement with contemporary art. This year’s show features over 1,700 works, selected from open submissions and by invited artists, across painting, sculpture, print, film, photography, and architecture.
Most works are available for sale. Proceeds support the artists directly and help fund the Royal Academy Schools, which trains emerging artists and operates without government funding.
