Art / RWA Open Exhibition
Seasonal highlights at the RWA: the 171 Annual Open Exhibition and the 2024 secret postcard auction
Exhibiting through the autumn and into the winter of 2024, the RWA’s Annual Open Exhibition is back for its 171st year.
Over 600 works were selected for inclusion in the prestigious exhibition by a panel of judges, with a £10,000 worth of prizes awarded to outstanding pieces of work in specific disciplines.
Together, the artists represented in the gallery encompass a huge array of practices, including photography and film, drawing, painting and printmaking, sculpture and installation, and more.
is needed now More than ever
RWA 171 Annual Open Exhibition – photo: Alice Hendy
They include recent architecture graduates Nathaniel Stevenson, Ade Olaosebikan and Michael Paul Lewis, sculptor Yoshihiro Watanabe, gunpowder artist Frank To, and visual artist Frances Gynn, who invites the public to conduct ‘public erasures’ of her work, using her art to highlight the existential threats posed by global biodiversity loss.
I Want to Break Free by gunpowder artist Frank To – photo: courtesy of the artist
Public Erasures, Spiny Seahorse, by Frances Gynn – photo: RWA
Also featuring in its autumn season is the RWA Secret Postcard Auction, which has been taking place annually since 2014.
Growing from a small one-off evening event featuring 100 or so postcards from RWA Academicians and local artists to an event three times the size, the auction now takes place online, further enhanced with a programme of live events and an exhibition of work.
Secret Postcard Auction 2024 – photo: RWA
Secret Postcard Auction 2024 – photo: RWA
A specially selected group of artists have created postcards (A5 size) exclusively for the auction, signing their work on the back to as not to reveal themselves too readily. People are able to speculate on the artists, or to bid on the works themselves; bidding starts at £40.
For art fans, the auction is a chance to acquire a small and unique piece of affordable work from well-known or emerging artists. The money raised will go towards the extensive RWA outreach programme, helping to reach under-represented communities through art-based projects.
Secret Postcard Auction 2024 – photo: RWA
Secret Postcard Auction 2024 – photo: RWA
The 171 Annual Open Exhibition is at the RWA until January 5 2025 at 10am-5pm Tuesday-Sunday; closed Monday (except for Bank Holidays).
Frances Gynn will be leading a public erasure of her Fairy Shrimp drawing on November 7 at 7.30pm (as part of an After Hours evening) and a public erasure of her Turtle Dove on December 7 – the latter event focused more on children and family involvement.
The Secret Postcard Auction will take place online from October 25-November 7, with a public display in the RWA Youngwood Room from October 29-November 7, and a special after hours event on November 7 at 6-9pm.
For more information about all upcoming exhibitions, events, talks and workshops at RWA, go to www.rwa.org.uk.
Main photo: RWA (Secret Postcard Auction 2024)
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