Entering, the visitor can’t overlook the first work on display; a colourful suggestion to “Make Art Not War” or “Art is Your Human Right”. Written in enamel paint on found timber, the first message is not only highly relevant but also revisits the artist’s famous quote used on several of his earlier text-based works painted twenty-five years ago. Few works by Bob & Roberta Smith can be held up against an objective truth - other than perhaps “Make Art Not War”. In the potent messages, the spectator finds that reality lies somewhere between the plausible and the less-so; only to realise that what seems to be an artist duo is a pseudonym of one man, a Goldsmith graduate and RAA Academician, Patrick Brill.

‘Only Connect’ - the chosen theme for the Summer Exhibition of 2023 - manifests the concept of John Simpson’s drawings. Always bringing the natural world into his works, his early compositions presented a spiritual connection between humans and animals, occasionally portrayed as one through mythical creatures such as a minotaur. ‘Forest (Hideaway)’, admitted to the Royal Academy of Arts, represents the shift in Simpson’s practice seen in the past years. Almost gone is the power of the animal kingdom, instead intricate portraits of nature flourish from the surface of the paper; a forest opening confined by tall pines, or as in ‘Forest (Hideaway)’, a secluded pond with waterlilies, hidden by trees and scrubs.

Exploring the interaction between colour, form and space, Sophie Smallhorn finds that three layers of colour can create four harmonic hues. Placing a teal obround object, surrounded and overlayed by a retro-peach above the centre-line and zesty lime green below, have the effect of enhancing the hue on top of the rounded shape, and create a dark olive green beneath. Screenprinted on a square piece of paper - leaving a proportionate white rectangle at the bottom - the artist controls the space contained inside the volume of a three-dimentional Perspex frame. Smallhorn’s fascination of colour is a never-ending study where works, such as the Colour Wheel’s explore simultaneous contrast. Others are a journey into colour patterns and flat planes, some hues overlapping multiple times adding its properties to the colour above and below it.

The fantastic and seemingly futuristic worlds made-up by Jane Ward have for several years caught the attention of the curators at the Royal Academy. ‘Away Across the Universe’ exemplifies Ward’s talent for creating multi-layered and (de)constructed scenery composed seemingly of green foliage; only at close-up revealing bridges, houses, cars, shopping malls and industrial sites. Is this a glimpse into what the architectural future looks like? Or rather, how life might exist on other planets? ‘Away Across the Universe’ creates a connection across the vastness of space to the infinite number of habitable worlds circling the stars in faraway galaxies.

In addition to the four artists above, Rob and Nick Carter and Paul Huxley have works prominently displayed this year. Both, established artists whom Eyestorm have been privileged to work with over the years.

The RAA Summer Exhibition is open to the public until August 20th.