0:00:04 > 0:00:08Welcome to this year's Royal Academy Summer Exhibition.
0:00:08 > 0:00:10It's the Wimbledon of the art world.
0:00:10 > 0:00:14It's been an extravagant highlight of the British artistic calendar
0:00:14 > 0:00:16for almost 250 years.
0:00:16 > 0:00:18And this year, it's even more vibrant, diverse
0:00:18 > 0:00:21and even eccentric than ever before.
0:00:31 > 0:00:34On tonight's show, we meet this year's Chief Co-ordinator,
0:00:34 > 0:00:38Eileen Cooper, whose art highlights include the first-ever
0:00:38 > 0:00:41performance piece for the Summer Exhibition.
0:00:41 > 0:00:43BELL RINGS
0:00:43 > 0:00:45He'll emerge from the crowds,
0:00:45 > 0:00:49wearing a Cyclops mask.
0:00:52 > 0:00:56We'll go behind the scenes with the most famous duo in art,
0:00:56 > 0:01:00as they install their latest work in the galleries.
0:01:00 > 0:01:02We like it when young friends come round
0:01:02 > 0:01:04and they see the designs for our new pictures,
0:01:04 > 0:01:06and they say to us, "You guys are crazy!"
0:01:07 > 0:01:11We splash some cash with some rather special art lovers.
0:01:11 > 0:01:13I quite like that, but then don't you think that
0:01:13 > 0:01:16if you had it in your house, you'd just want to sit on it?
0:01:16 > 0:01:19We follow three aspiring artists
0:01:19 > 0:01:23to see if they have what it takes to make it into the show.
0:01:23 > 0:01:25I've been at this stage once before and I didn't make it,
0:01:25 > 0:01:27and it was gutting.
0:01:28 > 0:01:32And hear Laura Mvula bring her soulful songs to the courtyard
0:01:32 > 0:01:34of the Royal Academy.
0:01:51 > 0:01:54What makes the Summer Exhibition utterly unique
0:01:54 > 0:01:56is that it's open to artists everywhere -
0:01:56 > 0:01:58professionals and amateurs alike.
0:01:58 > 0:02:00It's the largest open submission in the world,
0:02:00 > 0:02:04which means that absolutely anyone can enter, with a chance of having
0:02:04 > 0:02:08their work shown alongside the likes of Tracey Emin and Grayson Perry.
0:02:11 > 0:02:14But the journey starts months earlier.
0:02:16 > 0:02:20This year, 12,500 people have already submitted
0:02:20 > 0:02:22their work digitally.
0:02:22 > 0:02:26They've now been whittled down to 2,500,
0:02:26 > 0:02:29and many hopeful artists are now dropping off their works
0:02:29 > 0:02:32at the Royal Academy for the next round of judging.
0:02:34 > 0:02:37I've come from Karachi. Karachi, Pakistan. That's where I live.
0:02:41 > 0:02:46I decided to share my painting with the world so they can feel the love.
0:02:49 > 0:02:52It's called Gorgeous Filth 01.
0:02:52 > 0:02:55And I've come from Salt Spring Island in Canada.
0:02:59 > 0:03:02It would mean everything to me because I love art
0:03:02 > 0:03:05and when I grow up, obviously, I want to be an artist.
0:03:07 > 0:03:12And there's even a surprise amateur celebrity artist or two
0:03:12 > 0:03:13amongst the crowd.
0:03:15 > 0:03:19I've done a big selection of paintings of wrestlers this year.
0:03:19 > 0:03:21I used to go to wrestling in the '70s
0:03:21 > 0:03:24to see Giant Haystacks and Big Daddy and Kendo Nagasaki,
0:03:24 > 0:03:26and people like that.
0:03:26 > 0:03:28And I was... I don't know, I was just looking at some wrestling,
0:03:28 > 0:03:30I thought, "I fancy doing a bit of that."
0:03:30 > 0:03:35I like doing figurative stuff, especially when bodies are linked.
0:03:37 > 0:03:39I hope you can recognise who it is.
0:03:39 > 0:03:41It's Bill Nighy,
0:03:41 > 0:03:43dearly beloved Billy Nighy.
0:03:43 > 0:03:48And I just enjoy painting people that I agree with and I like.
0:03:48 > 0:03:53The title is Our Bill, because in the '30s, there was a song called...
0:03:53 > 0:03:56# And he's just my Bill, an ordinary guy. #
0:03:56 > 0:04:00And... So that's why I've called him Our Bill, because he is our Bill.
0:04:04 > 0:04:06It's really strange,
0:04:06 > 0:04:09I feel like I am at kindergarten, seeing my baby off!
0:04:16 > 0:04:21Comedian Harry Hill has entered the Summer Exhibition eight times.
0:04:22 > 0:04:25Last year, he made the final hang
0:04:25 > 0:04:27with his David Beckham diptych.
0:04:28 > 0:04:31This year's...
0:04:31 > 0:04:33This year's entry is, um...
0:04:34 > 0:04:36So it's, it's a dog.
0:04:36 > 0:04:40Basically, this picture was sent to my wife from a friend of ours.
0:04:40 > 0:04:43He left his dog in the house,
0:04:43 > 0:04:45with a bag of flour.
0:04:45 > 0:04:49Or the door to the larder was open and the dog got the bag of flour.
0:04:49 > 0:04:52And when he got back, he took these two photographs
0:04:52 > 0:04:54which really made me laugh!
0:04:54 > 0:04:57So there's the dog here, looking sort of bashful,
0:04:57 > 0:04:59and then he looks at what he's done.
0:04:59 > 0:05:02So I painted it as a little picture.
0:05:07 > 0:05:11One of this year's hopeful send-ins is Mike Carter,
0:05:11 > 0:05:13who has travelled all the way from Wales.
0:05:15 > 0:05:18I had to get the early bus at quarter past six this morning,
0:05:18 > 0:05:20so it's been quite a journey.
0:05:22 > 0:05:25I walked in through the park from Buckingham Palace
0:05:25 > 0:05:28and I could see a few people carrying artworks.
0:05:28 > 0:05:31It's like everyone kind of knows what each other's up to,
0:05:31 > 0:05:33it was like a little secret club or something.
0:05:35 > 0:05:37I'm just glad I got it here in one piece.
0:05:42 > 0:05:46Mike lives with his family just outside of Cardiff.
0:05:49 > 0:05:51He studied fine art here,
0:05:51 > 0:05:54but now works in retail for a popular Swedish furniture company.
0:05:56 > 0:05:59After graduating I didn't do any art for, like, ten years.
0:06:01 > 0:06:05My partner went to a show in London, Peter Deutsch show,
0:06:05 > 0:06:07and she brought back a catalogue.
0:06:07 > 0:06:09I just started looking at it again, I thought,
0:06:09 > 0:06:12"Well, why am I not painting any more?"
0:06:14 > 0:06:16That's when I started again.
0:06:17 > 0:06:20I would love to be able to do this full-time.
0:06:20 > 0:06:23But the realities are it's...it's difficult.
0:06:24 > 0:06:26I am doing my art...
0:06:26 > 0:06:28Well, basically, I get a slot every night,
0:06:28 > 0:06:30about two hours, you know?
0:06:34 > 0:06:36I am definitely a figurative painter
0:06:36 > 0:06:39but I'm open to lots of different ways of making art.
0:06:42 > 0:06:44Mike submitted work two years ago,
0:06:44 > 0:06:48but didn't make it onto the hallowed walls of the RA.
0:06:50 > 0:06:52This year, he's hoping to go all the way.
0:06:54 > 0:06:55This is my submission for
0:06:55 > 0:06:58the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition.
0:06:58 > 0:07:00It's South Stack Lighthouse in Anglesey.
0:07:04 > 0:07:06We were up there on holiday,
0:07:06 > 0:07:09and I was blown away by the whole view,
0:07:09 > 0:07:13and this lighthouse is kind of jutting out on a little peninsula.
0:07:16 > 0:07:19If the painting gets into the exhibition I...
0:07:19 > 0:07:21I don't know what I'll do with myself!
0:07:21 > 0:07:23I'll be so pleased.
0:07:23 > 0:07:26MUSIC: Valerie by Mark Ronson feat. Amy Winehouse
0:07:34 > 0:07:37Sarah Gwyer is a 32-year-old mum.
0:07:39 > 0:07:44She's also a pop artist with an unusual passion for handicrafts.
0:07:45 > 0:07:47This is Amy Remixed.
0:07:47 > 0:07:51She's made from hundreds and hundreds of hand-sewn beads
0:07:51 > 0:07:54and they've come together to make a sort of ode to Amy Winehouse.
0:07:57 > 0:08:00So I'm a little bit nervous today, dropping her off.
0:08:00 > 0:08:02I just want to make sure she gets there all safe and sound.
0:08:11 > 0:08:14Sarah lives in the Cotswolds, and she splits her time between
0:08:14 > 0:08:18her two small children, Barnaby and Toby, and her artwork.
0:08:20 > 0:08:23There's a lot of juggling going on.
0:08:23 > 0:08:26Nap time is pretty much when I get most of my artwork done.
0:08:26 > 0:08:29There's this beautiful time between half seven and 10pm.
0:08:29 > 0:08:32That's when I don't get any interruptions at all.
0:08:35 > 0:08:38I tend to do sculptures of women.
0:08:38 > 0:08:40It's always about having an iconic image.
0:08:40 > 0:08:43Amy, you've got the tattoos and you've got the beehive.
0:08:43 > 0:08:46She just screams at me to do her.
0:08:46 > 0:08:49So I started my sculpture in about November.
0:08:49 > 0:08:53She's taken about four months in total to finish.
0:08:53 > 0:08:55I literally hand sew every bead.
0:08:55 > 0:09:00You'll find a piano charm, there's charms of the old records.
0:09:00 > 0:09:03The hardest bits to do of a sculpture are concave areas,
0:09:03 > 0:09:05cleavage is really difficult,
0:09:05 > 0:09:09but the lips, I'd say the lips are probably the hardest part to do.
0:09:10 > 0:09:13# They're trying to make me go to rehab
0:09:13 > 0:09:16# But I won't go, go, go. #
0:09:16 > 0:09:19This is my fifth time of trying,
0:09:19 > 0:09:22but never, never made it through the final hurdle.
0:09:22 > 0:09:24So hopefully, this time...
0:09:24 > 0:09:25I feel it's my best shot,
0:09:25 > 0:09:28but at the same time, it's so subjective.
0:09:34 > 0:09:37Our final hopeful dropping off work at the RA
0:09:37 > 0:09:39is retired teacher Norma Bell.
0:09:45 > 0:09:48This painting is called Endgame,
0:09:48 > 0:09:50and it's a homage to Francis Bacon.
0:09:50 > 0:09:53It's painted with a palette knife and acrylics.
0:09:53 > 0:09:55I don't know how to use a paintbrush!
0:09:55 > 0:09:56SHE LAUGHS
0:10:00 > 0:10:04Norma lives in Fovant, Wiltshire, and came to art later in life.
0:10:07 > 0:10:12I'm in my 80s, but friends say that I easily pass for 79,
0:10:12 > 0:10:13so I'm quite happy with that.
0:10:16 > 0:10:19I started painting after I retired.
0:10:19 > 0:10:23I started going on painting holidays with a good friend of mine, Pam,
0:10:23 > 0:10:25and we produced lots of pretty pictures.
0:10:25 > 0:10:28Well, I decided that they were simply pretty pictures
0:10:28 > 0:10:31and they weren't really what I wanted to do.
0:10:31 > 0:10:34I wanted to do something much freer, and more colourful.
0:10:37 > 0:10:41I use a palette knife and acrylic paint,
0:10:41 > 0:10:43so it's like icing a cake, really.
0:10:43 > 0:10:45You just... You keep your knife flat, doing this.
0:10:45 > 0:10:47I'm going to try to obliterate
0:10:47 > 0:10:48what's here, really.
0:10:52 > 0:10:56The reason I do abstracts and I use a palette knife
0:10:56 > 0:10:58is because I can't paint a daisy or a cat,
0:10:58 > 0:11:00I wouldn't know how to do it.
0:11:00 > 0:11:01If you gave me a paintbrush,
0:11:01 > 0:11:03I wouldn't be quite sure which end to use.
0:11:06 > 0:11:10Norma's painting, Endgame - Homage to Francis Bacon,
0:11:10 > 0:11:14was inspired by a newspaper item which showed his last painting.
0:11:15 > 0:11:18This was a bull which, in fact, is starting to recede
0:11:18 > 0:11:20into the background,
0:11:20 > 0:11:24and it made me think that he must have had a premonition himself
0:11:24 > 0:11:27that he was facing his own mortality.
0:11:27 > 0:11:29And in the painting I did,
0:11:29 > 0:11:31I tried to put that across.
0:11:36 > 0:11:39I've achieved a lot of things I wanted to do,
0:11:39 > 0:11:42and getting a painting into the Royal Academy
0:11:42 > 0:11:44is the last thing on my bucket list.
0:11:44 > 0:11:46And if I can do that, I'll be very, very pleased,
0:11:46 > 0:11:49and very, very proud.
0:11:53 > 0:11:58Like all the other hopeful artists, the works of Mike, Sarah and Norma
0:11:58 > 0:12:01will be judged anonymously by the exhibition committee.
0:12:02 > 0:12:06In a few weeks' time, they'll discover if they're part
0:12:06 > 0:12:07of this year's show.
0:12:15 > 0:12:18Each year, one of Britain's leading artists is chosen to be
0:12:18 > 0:12:21the Chief Co-ordinator of the Summer Exhibition.
0:12:23 > 0:12:26This time round, it's the turn of Derbyshire painter
0:12:26 > 0:12:29and print-maker Eileen Cooper.
0:12:31 > 0:12:33Eileen Cooper is known
0:12:33 > 0:12:36for her large-scale, brightly coloured figurative paintings,
0:12:36 > 0:12:39sometimes described as magic realism.
0:12:41 > 0:12:45In 2010, she was also elected Keeper of the Royal Academy.
0:12:52 > 0:12:56Eileen has a bold vision for the show.
0:12:56 > 0:12:59I've come to the Royal Academy, to the Keeper's House,
0:12:59 > 0:13:02traditionally the grace-and-favour residence of the Keeper,
0:13:02 > 0:13:04to find out more.
0:13:11 > 0:13:13As well as being an academician,
0:13:13 > 0:13:18amazingly, Eileen is the first woman to be elected Keeper
0:13:18 > 0:13:21since the Royal Academy's foundation in 1768.
0:13:21 > 0:13:24Traditionally, as well as being responsible
0:13:24 > 0:13:26as the day-to-day running of the Royal Academy,
0:13:26 > 0:13:30the Keeper was also responsible for the Royal Academy Schools.
0:13:35 > 0:13:38Eileen's studio, at the top of the Keeper's House,
0:13:38 > 0:13:43has remained largely unchanged since it was built in 1866.
0:13:44 > 0:13:49Eileen, when you started to think about what you wanted
0:13:49 > 0:13:51this exhibition to be emblematic of,
0:13:51 > 0:13:55tell me what you thought should be the main thoughts.
0:13:55 > 0:13:57I really want to get people
0:13:57 > 0:13:59from all over the country,
0:13:59 > 0:14:01all over the world, on the walls,
0:14:01 > 0:14:04I want the big names and I want the unknowns.
0:14:04 > 0:14:07I'm in touch with a lot of different generations of artists.
0:14:07 > 0:14:10I very deliberately got film-makers.
0:14:10 > 0:14:13We've got a film installation from Isaac Julien.
0:14:13 > 0:14:18But we're also looking for graduates from many, many art schools.
0:14:18 > 0:14:22So, in fact, you want to increase the democracy of the Royal Academy?
0:14:22 > 0:14:24Yeah, I think most definitely so.
0:14:24 > 0:14:26Obviously, the very first thing people will see
0:14:26 > 0:14:27is the courtyard sculpture.
0:14:27 > 0:14:30- That's the thing that's got to make a "wow!".- Yeah.
0:14:30 > 0:14:31So what have you chosen?
0:14:31 > 0:14:37So I've chosen a wind sculpture by Yinka Shonibare.
0:14:37 > 0:14:40He's a big star in the art world, and he's very busy.
0:14:40 > 0:14:42He's showing all over the world.
0:14:42 > 0:14:47And I feel that the Summer Show is really very celebratory
0:14:47 > 0:14:50and to have something colourful and atmospheric
0:14:50 > 0:14:52and dominating the courtyard
0:14:52 > 0:14:55is a really good way to bring people in.
0:14:55 > 0:14:58You must be delighted that Gilbert and George are in your year.
0:14:58 > 0:15:01They showed for the first time in the academy last year,
0:15:01 > 0:15:04so that was a big, big, important thing,
0:15:04 > 0:15:06and often, they don't show in group shows.
0:15:06 > 0:15:07It's great to have them.
0:15:07 > 0:15:11We've got performances, two young performance artists,
0:15:11 > 0:15:14a duo, India Mackie and Declan Jenkins,
0:15:14 > 0:15:16doing Cantilever Kiss.
0:15:16 > 0:15:19And one of our academicians, Brian Catling,
0:15:19 > 0:15:22is going to be doing a performance.
0:15:22 > 0:15:24And it seems to me a very quirky and interesting performance,
0:15:24 > 0:15:32where he'll emerge from the crowds wearing a Cyclops mask.
0:15:32 > 0:15:35- That could be quite scary. - Let's hope not.
0:15:35 > 0:15:38Or should we be hoping it is?
0:15:38 > 0:15:41Tell me about the staircase.
0:15:41 > 0:15:44The first thing after you've come in through the courtyard,
0:15:44 > 0:15:47you're coming up the staircase, who are we having there?
0:15:47 > 0:15:49- Do you know yet?- No.
0:15:49 > 0:15:52We don't know who we are having in the staircase.
0:15:52 > 0:15:55- This is exactly four weeks from the exhibition.- Yes, it is.
0:15:55 > 0:15:58I know we've got some very large work by academicians,
0:15:58 > 0:16:01which I've got in mind as a possibility,
0:16:01 > 0:16:05and we're still under discussion with a couple of people.
0:16:08 > 0:16:11As Keeper, Eileen Cooper has privileged access
0:16:11 > 0:16:15to back parts of the Royal Academy that are never open to the public.
0:16:19 > 0:16:21Gosh, what's this? Part of the stairwell.
0:16:21 > 0:16:22This is the cut-through to the schools.
0:16:22 > 0:16:24It's the Keeper's staircase.
0:16:24 > 0:16:28- And how often is it used? - Well, I use it occasionally,
0:16:28 > 0:16:29but it is a bit creepy.
0:16:29 > 0:16:33Is it...? I mean, is it meant to be used by a lot of people, or is it quite secret?
0:16:33 > 0:16:35No, it's quite secret, it's for my use,
0:16:35 > 0:16:39and the Keeper goes down the stairs via the Keeper's garden.
0:16:39 > 0:16:40I think I'll go out this way, but...
0:16:40 > 0:16:43That's a spider's web you've got your hand on.
0:16:43 > 0:16:44SHE LAUGHS
0:16:48 > 0:16:51The students that Eileen Cooper teaches get free tuition,
0:16:51 > 0:16:54partially funded by the Summer Exhibition.
0:16:55 > 0:16:57And these stairs lead to a room
0:16:57 > 0:17:00where past masters perfected their art.
0:17:06 > 0:17:10Many famous artists, like JMW Turner, John Constable
0:17:10 > 0:17:13and John Everett Millais studied at the RA Schools.
0:17:13 > 0:17:15I am in the historic life room,
0:17:15 > 0:17:18and many believe that it was on these very benches
0:17:18 > 0:17:21that they sat, working away and drawing the life models.
0:17:27 > 0:17:31In the past, the life room was one of the most important aspects
0:17:31 > 0:17:33of the Royal Academy Schools.
0:17:35 > 0:17:37Life drawing was seen
0:17:37 > 0:17:40as the highest level of training that an artist
0:17:40 > 0:17:42would be expected to undertake,
0:17:42 > 0:17:43so it was the top of the tree.
0:17:44 > 0:17:47You had to draw from the life model in order to progress
0:17:47 > 0:17:51in the finest compartments of painting and sculpture.
0:17:54 > 0:17:57The life classes were incredibly structured.
0:17:57 > 0:18:01The model would sit for two hours, timed with this egg timer.
0:18:01 > 0:18:05It was used until about 1900.
0:18:05 > 0:18:07If at any point the model needed a break,
0:18:07 > 0:18:09a bit of a comfort break, that sort of thing,
0:18:09 > 0:18:11you just put it on your side like that
0:18:11 > 0:18:15until they were back again, all set, ready for the second half.
0:18:15 > 0:18:17And then it's time to pick up again.
0:18:17 > 0:18:19And that supposedly lasts an hour.
0:18:21 > 0:18:25There was a small body of professional models,
0:18:25 > 0:18:29but the male life models routinely came from amongst the staff,
0:18:29 > 0:18:31and the porters, now called red collars,
0:18:31 > 0:18:33at the Royal Academy would be expected to work
0:18:33 > 0:18:35as life models in the evening life class,
0:18:35 > 0:18:37in addition to their day duties.
0:18:40 > 0:18:43The women models were rather more mysterious,
0:18:43 > 0:18:45not least because there's all sorts of rumours
0:18:45 > 0:18:48as to the sorts of women who would be prepared to pose nude
0:18:48 > 0:18:51in front of a room full of young men,
0:18:51 > 0:18:55and so it was likely that some had worked as prostitutes.
0:18:55 > 0:18:57Not all, but they kept their anonymity,
0:18:57 > 0:18:59so they were referred to as "the woman".
0:18:59 > 0:19:01Now and again you get, "The other woman."
0:19:01 > 0:19:04There's even one case of a "night woman".
0:19:04 > 0:19:06They did get paid double.
0:19:13 > 0:19:15Today is judging day at the Royal Academy.
0:19:17 > 0:19:20Now that all the public submissions are in,
0:19:20 > 0:19:23it's down to a team of experts, professional artists
0:19:23 > 0:19:27and Royal Academicians to judge each and every work.
0:19:29 > 0:19:32Every single piece, including the artwork
0:19:32 > 0:19:33of our hopeful send-ins,
0:19:33 > 0:19:36is passed in front of the panel in turn.
0:19:38 > 0:19:41It must get at least one vote to get through.
0:19:48 > 0:19:50There was a bit of teasing going on.
0:19:50 > 0:19:54There were one or two kitsch things that I particularly wanted in
0:19:54 > 0:19:55and nobody else really wanted.
0:20:08 > 0:20:10With the judging completed,
0:20:10 > 0:20:15the wait for Sarah, Norma and Mike is almost over.
0:20:15 > 0:20:19They're about to receive an e-mail from the RA
0:20:19 > 0:20:22informing them if the judges liked their work.
0:20:22 > 0:20:23DUCK QUACKS
0:20:23 > 0:20:25That's something just come in this very minute.
0:20:25 > 0:20:27Did you hear the duck?
0:20:28 > 0:20:31If successful, they will move through
0:20:31 > 0:20:33to the final round of selection.
0:20:34 > 0:20:35Here we go.
0:20:35 > 0:20:40"Dear Norma, thank you for entering this year's Summer Exhibition.
0:20:40 > 0:20:43"Your artwork, Endgame - Homage To Francis Bacon,
0:20:43 > 0:20:45"is still under consideration."
0:20:45 > 0:20:46SHE CHUCKLES
0:20:46 > 0:20:50My artwork is still under consideration.
0:20:50 > 0:20:54So I get a final status on the 27th of May.
0:20:54 > 0:20:56"Your artwork, South Stack Lighthouse,
0:20:56 > 0:20:58"is still under consideration."
0:20:58 > 0:21:00I'll have to read that again.
0:21:00 > 0:21:03Yeah, still under consideration. Wow!
0:21:06 > 0:21:07Cool, I wasn't expecting that.
0:21:09 > 0:21:12All three of our hopefuls must now wait another week
0:21:12 > 0:21:15to see if they make the final hang.
0:21:17 > 0:21:20The artwork in the courtyard of the RA for the Summer Exhibition
0:21:20 > 0:21:23is one of the most anticipated commissions of the year.
0:21:23 > 0:21:27In 2017, it's the turn of one of Britain's foremost artists,
0:21:27 > 0:21:31whose witty sculptures often disguise a provocative message.
0:21:37 > 0:21:40Born in Britain, Yinka Shonibare grew up in Nigeria
0:21:40 > 0:21:44and his work has always wrestled with cultural identity.
0:21:47 > 0:21:51He's known for his playful use of brightly patterned wax textiles,
0:21:51 > 0:21:54often made into costumes for his headless mannequins.
0:21:57 > 0:22:02Influenced by his Nigerian heritage and combining darkness and humour,
0:22:02 > 0:22:04his art often charts an intrepid expedition
0:22:04 > 0:22:09through post-colonial themes and the impact of globalisation.
0:22:13 > 0:22:17Yinka Shonibare has been based in his studio here in east London
0:22:17 > 0:22:18for nine years.
0:22:21 > 0:22:24The sculpture that you're placing in the courtyard is called
0:22:24 > 0:22:26Wind Sculpture VI. Tell me about it.
0:22:26 > 0:22:31The wind sculptures began after my project in Trafalgar Square.
0:22:31 > 0:22:33It's called Nelson's Ship In A Bottle
0:22:33 > 0:22:36and I used very colourful sails on that, on that ship.
0:22:36 > 0:22:40Now, I'm known for using African textiles in my work
0:22:40 > 0:22:46and the fabric is a great metaphor for diversity, for me.
0:22:46 > 0:22:50And then I thought, "Why don't I actually create something much bigger?"
0:22:50 > 0:22:53Just isolating the idea of something blowing in the wind,
0:22:53 > 0:22:56as the sails blow in the wind.
0:22:56 > 0:22:58You've got a couple of maquettes here from the sculptures.
0:22:58 > 0:23:03- Can you take me through them? - This is a 3D-printed maquette.
0:23:03 > 0:23:06You know, so it's very exciting.
0:23:06 > 0:23:10It just makes it possible to see things in three dimensions
0:23:10 > 0:23:14and you get a sense of what the actual thing
0:23:14 > 0:23:16is going to look like.
0:23:16 > 0:23:18In terms of the audience and its response,
0:23:18 > 0:23:21do you have an ambition for the impact you wanted it to have?
0:23:21 > 0:23:23I'd be quite happy with "wow!"
0:23:23 > 0:23:24That would be...
0:23:24 > 0:23:27Your work is always "wow!" SHE LAUGHS
0:23:27 > 0:23:30I sort of feel like a naughty boy being allowed to play
0:23:30 > 0:23:33in the courtyard of the Royal Academy, really.
0:23:33 > 0:23:35So, as well as exhibiting this year,
0:23:35 > 0:23:37you're also curating two rooms.
0:23:37 > 0:23:39That must be quite a challenge in itself.
0:23:39 > 0:23:46Yes, and the brief, really, is to show the work of emerging artists
0:23:46 > 0:23:51and also look at diversity, to properly represent
0:23:51 > 0:23:54the diverse community that we live in.
0:23:58 > 0:24:00One of the artists Yinka Shonibare is showing
0:24:00 > 0:24:02is Hassan Hajjaj from Morocco.
0:24:04 > 0:24:07He makes photographs of Muslim women in a way that perhaps
0:24:07 > 0:24:09we wouldn't expect to see them.
0:24:13 > 0:24:17Henna Bikers is part of a body of work called Kesh Angels.
0:24:17 > 0:24:19"Kesh" is short for Marrakech.
0:24:19 > 0:24:22And I played with the words of Hells Angels, which is Kesh Angels.
0:24:22 > 0:24:27All the images are basically about girls from Marrakech
0:24:27 > 0:24:29that you normally see riding around
0:24:29 > 0:24:32and they have a certain style and a certain language.
0:24:32 > 0:24:35So I wanted to have this powerful image, with these powerful women.
0:24:42 > 0:24:45Abe Odedina originally studied as an architect
0:24:45 > 0:24:48and came to painting later in life.
0:24:48 > 0:24:51He describes himself as a folk artist.
0:24:54 > 0:24:56Deep Cut is one of a series of paintings
0:24:56 > 0:24:59I made around the referendum.
0:25:01 > 0:25:05The very strong graphic representation of the flag itself
0:25:05 > 0:25:08seems to suggest cut lines.
0:25:08 > 0:25:11So in a way, it's a bit of a warning,
0:25:11 > 0:25:14a gentle warning that we are dealing with very powerful forces.
0:25:21 > 0:25:23With three weeks to go,
0:25:23 > 0:25:26all the work that's made it through to the second stage
0:25:26 > 0:25:29has now been brought into the galleries.
0:25:32 > 0:25:36Before the final hang, Brenda and I have been given special access
0:25:36 > 0:25:39to the galleries where most of the public entries may be hung,
0:25:39 > 0:25:41to try our hand at being judges.
0:25:43 > 0:25:46We are each going to choose four artworks
0:25:46 > 0:25:48and compete to see who can get the most pieces
0:25:48 > 0:25:50into the summer show.
0:25:52 > 0:25:57So this is where we start. This is mainly a send-in room.
0:25:57 > 0:25:59- So...- It's like being a kid in a sweet shop, really.- It is.
0:25:59 > 0:26:01And it's kind of a big sweet shop.
0:26:01 > 0:26:03And some of the sweets are fantastic and some are just...
0:26:03 > 0:26:06- Not good for you!- Exactly. So let's see what we like.
0:26:08 > 0:26:10I don't know where to start.
0:26:12 > 0:26:17Oh, no, no...no.
0:26:17 > 0:26:22- Hey, lovely. I'm going to need your help. OK.- So, if I...
0:26:22 > 0:26:24Do you know what they look for?
0:26:25 > 0:26:27I think this must be...
0:26:28 > 0:26:31Yeah. I like this, cos I don't know what the story is. Like it.
0:26:33 > 0:26:36Yeah, that's by... Who's that by?
0:26:36 > 0:26:39You're kidding me. Is that Vic Reeves?
0:26:40 > 0:26:42That is hilarious.
0:26:42 > 0:26:45- I do like it. I love colour.- OK.
0:26:45 > 0:26:46Oh, I've got to give him a go.
0:26:47 > 0:26:49Let's see this.
0:26:50 > 0:26:52I quite like that. In fact, I like that a lot.
0:26:53 > 0:26:54I said to you I like colour,
0:26:54 > 0:26:56and everything I've gone for is quite...
0:26:56 > 0:26:59But that is beautiful.
0:26:59 > 0:27:01Yep... This...
0:27:01 > 0:27:03It's between this one
0:27:03 > 0:27:05or the really big one over there.
0:27:05 > 0:27:07Do you know what? I'm going to go for this one.
0:27:09 > 0:27:11You know, this is really cool.
0:27:11 > 0:27:13It's like Lowry.
0:27:13 > 0:27:16Yeah, Lowry-cum-Jacometti-cum...
0:27:16 > 0:27:18- Brenda likes it!- Yep.
0:27:18 > 0:27:20Oh, this is rather wonderful.
0:27:21 > 0:27:23Oh, it's beautiful.
0:27:24 > 0:27:26- Is it a diptych? - It is a diptych, yeah.
0:27:26 > 0:27:30- So, would that count as one choice for me?- Yes.
0:27:30 > 0:27:31It's so striking.
0:27:31 > 0:27:34I think I've made my decision.
0:27:34 > 0:27:38- Wow. It's great we have chosen such different things.- We have.
0:27:38 > 0:27:41You know who that is? That surprised me.
0:27:41 > 0:27:42That's Vic Reeves.
0:27:43 > 0:27:46I found that really playful. I loved the colours
0:27:46 > 0:27:47and it made me feel good.
0:27:47 > 0:27:50And then this is like Starry, Starry Night.
0:27:50 > 0:27:52You know those moments when you need to meditate?
0:27:52 > 0:27:54You've come from work and you've had a long day
0:27:54 > 0:27:57and you need a glass of wine and to look at something pleasant.
0:27:57 > 0:28:00What I liked about this, I think that tells a story
0:28:00 > 0:28:02and I think that is endlessly fascinating.
0:28:02 > 0:28:04I'd have probably gone past that one.
0:28:04 > 0:28:06And then this, because it's just...
0:28:06 > 0:28:08I love the idea that there's a settlement there.
0:28:08 > 0:28:13The lights are on and I love that deep mustard ochre in the back.
0:28:13 > 0:28:16- This, I absolutely love. - Is it paper?
0:28:16 > 0:28:19That's what it looks like and then you think it's pastry.
0:28:19 > 0:28:23But actually, every single one of these is porcelain.
0:28:23 > 0:28:24Are you serious?
0:28:24 > 0:28:27That is a find. I hadn't seen that. That is gorgeous.
0:28:27 > 0:28:31And I've also chosen a painting. It makes me smile.
0:28:31 > 0:28:34And I think when you're in somewhere like this,
0:28:34 > 0:28:36you have to choose things that make you smile.
0:28:36 > 0:28:39I think you're right and this is why, I think, I went for this.
0:28:39 > 0:28:41I think you're going to hate it.
0:28:41 > 0:28:42- No, I really love this.- You do?
0:28:42 > 0:28:45- You know what I want to do, though? - What?- I want to play with it,
0:28:45 > 0:28:47as if I'm a child.
0:28:47 > 0:28:49I want to move it around and create different scenarios.
0:28:49 > 0:28:50That is exactly what I liked.
0:28:50 > 0:28:53I'll be really interested to see what you think of my final choice.
0:28:54 > 0:28:57- What do you think? - I think this is a great choice.
0:28:57 > 0:29:01So, it's a pair, so you're managing to cheat.
0:29:01 > 0:29:04- Not really! It's a diptych. - Wow, look at these.
0:29:04 > 0:29:05- Is it all pastel?- Yeah.
0:29:05 > 0:29:08- Don't you think it's incredible? Look at the hair.- I do.
0:29:08 > 0:29:12All we have to think about now is whose is on the wall?
0:29:12 > 0:29:15- Shall we have a bet? - OK, champagne for the most...
0:29:15 > 0:29:16The most on the wall gets the champagne.
0:29:16 > 0:29:18- The least on the wall pays for it. - OK.
0:29:18 > 0:29:20But don't make it expensive if you win!
0:29:26 > 0:29:30This year, one of the strangest double acts in art history
0:29:30 > 0:29:33has been made Royal Academicians.
0:29:36 > 0:29:39Gilbert and George are the first duo to have been elected
0:29:39 > 0:29:44as a single artist in the entire history of the RA.
0:29:45 > 0:29:48They met At St Martin's School of Art in 1967
0:29:48 > 0:29:51and formed a unique and personal relationship.
0:29:53 > 0:29:56They started creating art together and made themselves the centre
0:29:56 > 0:29:58of their art as living sculpture.
0:30:00 > 0:30:04THEY SING
0:30:06 > 0:30:08Gilbert and George believe that everything
0:30:08 > 0:30:11is a potential subject matter for their art
0:30:11 > 0:30:14and they've tested taboos and challenged artistic conventions.
0:30:14 > 0:30:18Over the years, they've delighted, confounded and outraged,
0:30:18 > 0:30:20provoking with their art,
0:30:20 > 0:30:22using themselves as a starting point
0:30:22 > 0:30:25or, indeed, the city around them - London.
0:30:30 > 0:30:32I have come to see them at their home and studio
0:30:32 > 0:30:35in Spitalfields in east London.
0:30:37 > 0:30:40This is your table of...paraphernalia
0:30:40 > 0:30:41or is this your table of...?
0:30:41 > 0:30:45- It's the Royal table. - It's the Royal table.
0:30:45 > 0:30:47- And these are?- These are the two medals that we got.
0:30:47 > 0:30:50They're green, because green is for sculpture.
0:30:50 > 0:30:52That's very interesting.
0:30:52 > 0:30:54- We are still sculptors.- Sculptures.
0:30:54 > 0:30:55That's how we started out as.
0:30:55 > 0:30:57Not painters - sculptors.
0:30:57 > 0:31:01So, you knew you were going to be getting green for sculpture.
0:31:01 > 0:31:02What happened when you got the medals?
0:31:02 > 0:31:05It was very easy in fact.
0:31:05 > 0:31:06They told to us go in for lunch,
0:31:06 > 0:31:09so we had two - what are they called? -
0:31:09 > 0:31:11ham and cheese sandwiches, then they took us
0:31:11 > 0:31:14in the room where there were, what they call, Royal Academicians
0:31:14 > 0:31:16sitting around there, 20 of them,
0:31:16 > 0:31:20then gave us the medals and then made us sign this big document.
0:31:20 > 0:31:22The artists were sitting around all wearing their hats.
0:31:22 > 0:31:24I said, "Is that a Royal Academician thing,
0:31:24 > 0:31:26"that you have to wear a hat for lunch?"
0:31:26 > 0:31:28And they said, "No, no. It's an affectation."
0:31:28 > 0:31:30I was quite amazed by that.
0:31:36 > 0:31:39Gilbert and George exhibited their work Beard Aware
0:31:39 > 0:31:41at the Summer Exhibition last year
0:31:41 > 0:31:43and their fascination with beards
0:31:43 > 0:31:45is still growing.
0:31:46 > 0:31:50The piece that you're putting in follows on from the piece last year.
0:31:50 > 0:31:52This year, it's Beard Speak.
0:31:55 > 0:31:57How did you decide on the images
0:31:57 > 0:31:59that were going to be in that particular piece?
0:31:59 > 0:32:01We just realised that
0:32:01 > 0:32:04beards have an enormous world of meaning and fascination.
0:32:07 > 0:32:09When we moved first to Spitalfields,
0:32:09 > 0:32:11everyone was bearded and Yiddish-speaking.
0:32:11 > 0:32:12Extraordinary.
0:32:14 > 0:32:17The cutting of the beard or not cutting the beard
0:32:17 > 0:32:18is very important for a lot of religions.
0:32:18 > 0:32:21All the religion has something to do beards, in some way.
0:32:21 > 0:32:24The Hindus, the Muslims, the Sikhs.
0:32:24 > 0:32:27And the most famous beard in the world, Jesus Christ.
0:32:27 > 0:32:32When I was a teenager, you wouldn't get a job in my home town
0:32:32 > 0:32:34if you had a beard, or if you had a tattoo.
0:32:34 > 0:32:37Now, everybody in Spitalfields has a beard and a tattoo.
0:32:37 > 0:32:39- Except you two. - Extraordinary - not us.
0:32:39 > 0:32:41In a year's time, they'll all be cut off again
0:32:41 > 0:32:43and everyone will be fresh-faced again.
0:32:43 > 0:32:45We don't know. It's very difficult to imagine that.
0:32:45 > 0:32:47Maybe you could grow one, when it's not fashionable.
0:32:47 > 0:32:48THEY CHUCKLE
0:32:50 > 0:32:54Gilbert and George used to manipulate photographic images
0:32:54 > 0:32:58by hand, but they now work with sophisticated computer technology.
0:33:01 > 0:33:05Do you think that your use of computers has given you,
0:33:05 > 0:33:06actually, a greater freedom?
0:33:06 > 0:33:10I think it's an enormous overlap from the old technology.
0:33:10 > 0:33:12Much of the language is the same,
0:33:12 > 0:33:14but I think it's even more exciting, I would put it that way.
0:33:14 > 0:33:18We manage to create this amazing palette of colours,
0:33:18 > 0:33:20they are very extreme
0:33:20 > 0:33:23and we made ourselves big heads and smaller bodies
0:33:23 > 0:33:26and the beard is completely becoming ingrained
0:33:26 > 0:33:28and drifting down to the end.
0:33:28 > 0:33:32How extraordinary to think that you could, with your computers,
0:33:32 > 0:33:35even when you're not here, continue to make art.
0:33:35 > 0:33:38So, we can still have a Gilbert and George in 100 years' time?
0:33:38 > 0:33:41With the advances in stem cell technology,
0:33:41 > 0:33:42we could probably live forever, anyway.
0:33:42 > 0:33:46- Maybe more stiff, but... - Stiff is good.
0:33:47 > 0:33:49Thank you very much!
0:33:49 > 0:33:50KIRSTY GUFFAWS
0:33:57 > 0:34:00With the Summer Exhibition drawing closer,
0:34:00 > 0:34:03there is a big delivery at the Royal Academy.
0:34:07 > 0:34:08Early Saturday morning,
0:34:08 > 0:34:10and we're here, in the courtyard of the Royal Academy.
0:34:10 > 0:34:13And it's arrived - Yinka's Wind Sculpture VI.
0:34:13 > 0:34:16Looks like a stingray wrapped up in cellophane at the moment,
0:34:16 > 0:34:19but in...oh, a couple of hours, I'd say,
0:34:19 > 0:34:22it'll be a beautiful sculpture, dominating this amazing space.
0:34:30 > 0:34:32Now they've cautiously taken it off the truck.
0:34:32 > 0:34:34The next process is to unwrap the sculpture
0:34:34 > 0:34:38before placing it upright and into position.
0:34:38 > 0:34:40It's actually like waiting for your sofa
0:34:40 > 0:34:42and watching it unravel, it's quite exciting.
0:34:47 > 0:34:50So, this 12-foot fibreglass structure
0:34:50 > 0:34:52is ready to compete with Sir Joshua Reynolds here,
0:34:52 > 0:34:54in the forecourt of the Royal Academy.
0:34:54 > 0:34:57It's history, it's heritage,
0:34:57 > 0:35:00it's craft, all wrapped up in this amazing piece of work.
0:35:00 > 0:35:02It's so Yinka. Love it.
0:35:04 > 0:35:07We'll have to wait until the opening of the show to see
0:35:07 > 0:35:09how Yinka Shonibare's piece has come together.
0:35:16 > 0:35:19The judges now make their final selections as they try out
0:35:19 > 0:35:20hundreds of pieces,
0:35:20 > 0:35:23including the artwork from our hopefuls,
0:35:23 > 0:35:25in each of the galleries.
0:35:29 > 0:35:33Even at this stage, there are far more works than can be displayed.
0:35:37 > 0:35:40It's been very intense. Very intense, hasn't it?
0:35:42 > 0:35:46Every one of us is looking for the best spot for individual works.
0:35:56 > 0:35:59The wait for our three hopeful artists is over.
0:35:59 > 0:36:01They've passed the judging stages -
0:36:01 > 0:36:04now they'll find out if they've made it
0:36:04 > 0:36:07into this year's Summer Exhibition.
0:36:07 > 0:36:09So, I've been at this stage once before and I didn't make it,
0:36:09 > 0:36:11and it was gutting.
0:36:11 > 0:36:13So I am fully prepared for either outcome.
0:36:16 > 0:36:18"Dear Michael Carter..."
0:36:18 > 0:36:21Oh, wow. "We're pleased to inform you that your artwork,
0:36:21 > 0:36:23"South Stack Lighthouse, Anglesey,
0:36:23 > 0:36:27"has been selected for this year's exhibition."
0:36:27 > 0:36:29Yes! That's amazing.
0:36:30 > 0:36:34"Dear Norma Bell, I am pleased to inform you that your artwork
0:36:34 > 0:36:36"Endgame - Homage To Francis Bacon
0:36:36 > 0:36:40"has been selected for this year's exhibition."
0:36:40 > 0:36:42SHE GIGGLES
0:36:45 > 0:36:46"Dear Sarah,
0:36:46 > 0:36:48"I am pleased to inform you that your artwork,
0:36:48 > 0:36:51"Amy Remixed, has been selected for this year's exhibition."
0:36:51 > 0:36:53That's, uh...
0:36:53 > 0:36:55That's unreal.
0:36:55 > 0:36:57SHE LAUGHS
0:36:57 > 0:36:58So, how do you feel?
0:37:03 > 0:37:05- TEARFULLY:- Really happy.
0:37:05 > 0:37:09Do you know what? I just realised, it's been selected!
0:37:09 > 0:37:10It's been selected!
0:37:12 > 0:37:13Thank you, Francis!
0:37:13 > 0:37:15SHE LAUGHS
0:37:17 > 0:37:21The next time they'll see their work is on display in the gallery.
0:37:26 > 0:37:29This year's Summer Exhibition is all about celebrating work
0:37:29 > 0:37:33that stretches the boundaries of art and what it can and should do.
0:37:33 > 0:37:37There's humour, there's showmanship, there's drama.
0:37:37 > 0:37:39There's even something that might scare us.
0:37:45 > 0:37:47Multimedia artist Brian Catling
0:37:47 > 0:37:51has a love of the macabre and the fantastical.
0:37:53 > 0:37:56I am beneath you.
0:37:56 > 0:38:00Stooping in the half-light to your side...
0:38:00 > 0:38:01He is a performance poet,
0:38:01 > 0:38:06sculptor, and also author of the cult novel The Vorrh.
0:38:06 > 0:38:08..veined in tar shine.
0:38:11 > 0:38:14And he will be presenting an extraordinary work
0:38:14 > 0:38:18at this year's show, centred around his abiding obsession
0:38:18 > 0:38:21with the figure of the mythical Cyclops.
0:38:24 > 0:38:26As part of your contribution to the Summer Exhibition,
0:38:26 > 0:38:29- you are bringing in performance art. - Yeah.
0:38:29 > 0:38:30And I'm putting in three paintings.
0:38:30 > 0:38:34They're paintings of imagery cyclopses, portraits.
0:38:34 > 0:38:39One of them has the ability of being turned.
0:38:39 > 0:38:42So I am building a performance into the painting.
0:38:42 > 0:38:43One of the attendants
0:38:43 > 0:38:45will step forward at a certain time,
0:38:45 > 0:38:47turn the picture with its face to the wall,
0:38:47 > 0:38:50and I will come out, but I'll be wearing a prosthetic eye
0:38:50 > 0:38:53and I'll move through the crowd, quietly,
0:38:53 > 0:38:56let everybody see this for a few moments, and then go back.
0:38:56 > 0:38:59The painting will be turned. So I'm like a rumour,
0:38:59 > 0:39:01something some people will see and some won't.
0:39:01 > 0:39:04So, what do you want to trigger in the visitors
0:39:04 > 0:39:05when they get to experience this?
0:39:05 > 0:39:08I want them to be a little troubled.
0:39:08 > 0:39:10A little odd. Why would someone want to do that?
0:39:10 > 0:39:13You're going to get all kinds of reactions,
0:39:13 > 0:39:15complete indifference to outrage.
0:39:21 > 0:39:22BELL RINGS
0:39:24 > 0:39:28Brian is going to give us a sneak preview of his eerie performance
0:39:28 > 0:39:30which he'll be putting on at unscheduled times
0:39:30 > 0:39:33throughout the Summer Exhibition.
0:39:34 > 0:39:37EERIE MUSIC
0:40:14 > 0:40:17CARIBBEAN MUSIC
0:40:23 > 0:40:26It's Varnishing Day at the RA.
0:40:26 > 0:40:29This takes place before the show opens to the public,
0:40:29 > 0:40:32and exhibiting artists have a chance to see their work
0:40:32 > 0:40:35hung in the gallery for the very first time.
0:40:35 > 0:40:38Before they're allowed in, they can take part
0:40:38 > 0:40:41in one of the Summer Exhibition's hallowed traditions.
0:40:45 > 0:40:48All the artists are invited to parade down Piccadilly
0:40:48 > 0:40:51and to attend an artists' blessing at St James Church.
0:40:53 > 0:40:57Good morning and welcome to the annual service for artists
0:40:57 > 0:40:59on Varnishing Day.
0:40:59 > 0:41:01Wherever you have travelled from today,
0:41:01 > 0:41:03welcome to the parish church of the RA.
0:41:08 > 0:41:11Now our hopefuls can finally enter the gallery
0:41:11 > 0:41:14and find out where their works have been put.
0:41:26 > 0:41:29Ah! There it is.
0:41:31 > 0:41:34- Wow! - SHE CHUCKLES
0:41:34 > 0:41:37Yes. Yes, it looks good.
0:41:37 > 0:41:41It's sort of in a nice...a nice little spot of its own, there.
0:41:45 > 0:41:46Make sure...
0:41:46 > 0:41:48Allowed to do it if it's my painting!
0:41:50 > 0:41:52Well, I think I ought to stand here
0:41:52 > 0:41:54and invite everyone - "Roll up, have a look."
0:42:09 > 0:42:12Hey! I've found it! Oh, wow!
0:42:17 > 0:42:19I'm really, really pleased.
0:42:19 > 0:42:22Couldn't be happier, especially the position and everything.
0:42:24 > 0:42:26It's strange, cos, you know...
0:42:27 > 0:42:31..I was framing it in my little room and now it's here.
0:42:31 > 0:42:32It's unreal.
0:42:49 > 0:42:53It's really surreal. It's a really strange feeling.
0:42:53 > 0:42:55I am loving the light in here.
0:42:55 > 0:42:57It's really good for her. And I'm just seeing
0:42:57 > 0:42:59Gilbert and George, their work over there.
0:42:59 > 0:43:02I'm such a big fan of their work, so I'm really, really proud.
0:43:09 > 0:43:13And one of our celebrity hopefuls has also made it through.
0:43:13 > 0:43:19# But along came Bill
0:43:19 > 0:43:23# An ordinary guy... #
0:43:23 > 0:43:25I'm really pleased.
0:43:25 > 0:43:30Thrilling. Thrilling. Just to get any picture in is just very special.
0:43:30 > 0:43:32I think it's such a special occasion.
0:43:34 > 0:43:38Oh, he's got such a sweet face. Hope he is pleased, if he sees it.
0:43:45 > 0:43:49It's time for Brenda and me to see who has won our little bet.
0:43:50 > 0:43:53So, it's the moment we find out whether, actually,
0:43:53 > 0:43:56- any of our choices made it. - I am desperate to see.
0:44:01 > 0:44:02- Oh, look!- I can't see anything.
0:44:02 > 0:44:05- Hey!- Yep.
0:44:05 > 0:44:07They look really powerful up there, don't they?
0:44:07 > 0:44:09- I think they look fantastic. - I am happy they're here.
0:44:09 > 0:44:12I really am. 1-0 to Brenda!
0:44:12 > 0:44:15- See if I can see any more. - Early days!
0:44:16 > 0:44:18I cannot think...
0:44:21 > 0:44:23Oh, it's here. Now, there it is.
0:44:23 > 0:44:25- Now, look at that. - It looks better on the wall,
0:44:25 > 0:44:27- as well, doesn't it? - It looks fantastic.
0:44:27 > 0:44:30I'm really, really pleased that came in.
0:44:30 > 0:44:31That makes us even.
0:44:35 > 0:44:37Hey, hey, hey! Look what I spot!
0:44:37 > 0:44:39It's so good in this corner.
0:44:39 > 0:44:41I was about to say exactly the same thing.
0:44:41 > 0:44:42I think that makes that
0:44:42 > 0:44:442-1, Lady!
0:44:48 > 0:44:49Wait, that's... Is that..?
0:44:49 > 0:44:50- I picked that.- You did.
0:44:50 > 0:44:53I'm so glad, because it is beside Barbara Rae,
0:44:53 > 0:44:55which is even lovelier.
0:44:56 > 0:44:58Oh-oh.
0:44:58 > 0:45:00That was mine. That was one of mine.
0:45:00 > 0:45:01- Brilliant.- Yay!
0:45:01 > 0:45:03So, that made it. Well, that's good.
0:45:03 > 0:45:06- So, how many is that?- That makes it three to Brenda, two to Kirsty.
0:45:06 > 0:45:10- And with a couple of rooms to go, all to play for.- All right, then.
0:45:10 > 0:45:12Let's go.
0:45:12 > 0:45:14So, we are getting down to the last couple of rooms
0:45:14 > 0:45:18- we haven't seen, so we don't know. - I can't spot my Vic Reeves.
0:45:20 > 0:45:24Ah! There they are. My women.
0:45:25 > 0:45:27Look, the women made it.
0:45:28 > 0:45:29The women made it,
0:45:29 > 0:45:30but Vic Reeves didn't make it, did he?
0:45:30 > 0:45:33Can't find him anywhere. It's a thing called life.
0:45:33 > 0:45:36Dear me, he doesn't have a day job, either(!)
0:45:36 > 0:45:38- Well, look, it was a draw! - It was a draw.
0:45:38 > 0:45:40I think that's pretty good.
0:45:40 > 0:45:42- I think champagne time.- We have to break it to Vic Reeves, though.
0:45:42 > 0:45:44You should break it to Vic Reeves!
0:45:51 > 0:45:54The night before the launch of the Summer Exhibition, the RA holds
0:45:54 > 0:45:58a grand dinner for its members and invited guests.
0:46:02 > 0:46:05There is nothing else like this in the whole world
0:46:05 > 0:46:08and that is why it shouldn't change too much
0:46:08 > 0:46:09and we should keep the traditions
0:46:09 > 0:46:12of amateurs and the professionals together and, one day,
0:46:12 > 0:46:15those amateurs will become professionals, anyway, I hope,
0:46:15 > 0:46:16so it's good.
0:46:18 > 0:46:23One of the highlights of the evening is to award £25,000
0:46:23 > 0:46:25to the most distinguished work in the show.
0:46:26 > 0:46:29I'm delighted to announce that the winner
0:46:29 > 0:46:30of the Charles Wollaston Award
0:46:30 > 0:46:32is Isaac Julien.
0:46:32 > 0:46:35CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:46:44 > 0:46:49Isaac's Julien's winning work is a multiscreen film installation,
0:46:49 > 0:46:50Western Union: Small Boats,
0:46:50 > 0:46:55portraying the plight of refugees crossing the Mediterranean.
0:46:57 > 0:47:01This work, which really tries to look at this crisis,
0:47:01 > 0:47:05the journeys of people from Africa into southern Europe
0:47:05 > 0:47:08and to, in a sense, go behind the scenes,
0:47:08 > 0:47:12and try to tell the story that news reporting cannot tell.
0:47:23 > 0:47:27Actually, I first showed in the Royal Academy
0:47:27 > 0:47:30in the Summer Show in 1980
0:47:30 > 0:47:33and so, 37 years later,
0:47:33 > 0:47:36I must say, it was, in a way, wonderfully ironic
0:47:36 > 0:47:39to be able to install this work, as a video work,
0:47:39 > 0:47:44and get this news that the piece actually won this award,
0:47:44 > 0:47:46so I'm very, very honoured.
0:47:55 > 0:47:57So finally, it's the big day,
0:47:57 > 0:48:00when the Summer Exhibition throws open its doors
0:48:00 > 0:48:02to the glamorous gala party,
0:48:02 > 0:48:07but there's still a little time for those last-minute tweaks.
0:48:11 > 0:48:14It's always a thrill to see the galleries transformed
0:48:14 > 0:48:19and, this year, to see what Eileen has done with her box of delights.
0:48:23 > 0:48:26The first delight is Yinka Shonibare's striking
0:48:26 > 0:48:28Wind Sculpture VI,
0:48:28 > 0:48:32which stands out in this austere palladium courtyard.
0:48:32 > 0:48:35Isn't this a great welcome to the courtyard?
0:48:35 > 0:48:37There is something quite emotional about it,
0:48:37 > 0:48:39because it's so vibrant and optimistic.
0:48:39 > 0:48:41Even Joshua is wearing Yinka's scarf.
0:48:46 > 0:48:49I meet Eileen Cooper to get a personal tour of the show.
0:48:52 > 0:48:55So, the staircase, Eileen, was going to be your, kind of,
0:48:55 > 0:48:57last-minute surprise,
0:48:57 > 0:48:58Was it a surprise to you, too?!
0:48:58 > 0:49:03It was a surprise. We had several possibilities
0:49:03 > 0:49:05and I'm really pleased we've got these.
0:49:05 > 0:49:07This was the thing I really wanted.
0:49:07 > 0:49:08This is beautiful.
0:49:08 > 0:49:11They're paintings by the schools' graduate,
0:49:11 > 0:49:14Lynette Yiadom-Boakye, and I love them.
0:49:14 > 0:49:16Great that she came from the schools,
0:49:16 > 0:49:18because that is what this exhibition is all about.
0:49:18 > 0:49:23I think we have achieved a more inclusive and diverse showing
0:49:23 > 0:49:24than ever before.
0:49:28 > 0:49:29Wow!
0:49:33 > 0:49:38The variety of work, so many different media.
0:49:38 > 0:49:41This room, kind of, sums it up. We have got photography
0:49:41 > 0:49:42and we have got painting.
0:49:42 > 0:49:43You've got Tracey's neons.
0:49:43 > 0:49:46Tracey's neons look fantastic.
0:49:46 > 0:49:47They do.
0:49:52 > 0:49:54And now, Yinka's own room.
0:49:54 > 0:49:58It's as if there's a determined effort to get every kind of art
0:49:58 > 0:50:00- into the exhibition this year.- Yeah.
0:50:07 > 0:50:10So, looking at this photograph, I love the fact it is surrounded.
0:50:10 > 0:50:13I love the frame. It's made of tins.
0:50:13 > 0:50:16It's a powerful photograph, isn't it?
0:50:17 > 0:50:19Tell me about these figures.
0:50:19 > 0:50:23These are by an artist who's based in the East End of London.
0:50:23 > 0:50:25- Beautifully carved from one piece of wood and painted.- Wow.
0:50:25 > 0:50:28I think, if you live in Hackney, you would probably recognise
0:50:28 > 0:50:30some of these characters.
0:50:30 > 0:50:32- Maybe they'll be at the party. - Let's hope so.
0:50:36 > 0:50:38So, this is Rose Wylie's triptych.
0:50:38 > 0:50:39Yes, when this came in,
0:50:39 > 0:50:41I thought that is going to be
0:50:41 > 0:50:42on the central wall
0:50:42 > 0:50:44and it's wonderfully bonkers.
0:50:44 > 0:50:46I wouldn't describe what it was about,
0:50:46 > 0:50:49but it's obviously referencing film.
0:50:50 > 0:50:52She has got a reindeer and an Irish Cupid.
0:51:01 > 0:51:02Is it a heart,
0:51:02 > 0:51:03do you think?
0:51:03 > 0:51:05Some kind of vital organ?
0:51:05 > 0:51:07- I wouldn't know how to begin to describe it.- A vital organ!
0:51:07 > 0:51:10Which leads you through to Gilbert and George.
0:51:10 > 0:51:12- Looks good here, doesn't it? - It look great.
0:51:13 > 0:51:16And I love all these adverts.
0:51:16 > 0:51:17"Scaffold labourer wanted."
0:51:17 > 0:51:19"A man and van."
0:51:21 > 0:51:23"Waste removals."
0:51:23 > 0:51:26And probably a few more that we shouldn't really draw attention to.
0:51:30 > 0:51:32All these months, some of them stressful.
0:51:32 > 0:51:36Negotiations, disappointments.
0:51:37 > 0:51:40After this is over, do you just lie down in a darkened room
0:51:40 > 0:51:42- with a glass of champagne? - Yes, in a semi-coma for about
0:51:42 > 0:51:44three months, I think.
0:51:47 > 0:51:50It's party time and celebrated names from art,
0:51:50 > 0:51:54fashion and the silver screen are out in force.
0:51:56 > 0:51:58I have bought before from here
0:51:58 > 0:52:00and I think you get, sort of, caught up in the furore.
0:52:00 > 0:52:03It's like a party and everyone else is buying things
0:52:03 > 0:52:05and you're like, "I'll buy things."
0:52:08 > 0:52:12It is such a great buzz. It's full of interesting people, beautiful art
0:52:12 > 0:52:15and that's why I need to get in there quite quickly,
0:52:15 > 0:52:16cos I want to buy something!
0:52:19 > 0:52:23I'll be looking today. I don't think my wallet is that heavy tonight!
0:52:23 > 0:52:27I hope to see Grayson Perry, as well. It's always fun.
0:52:27 > 0:52:29Right on cue there.
0:52:29 > 0:52:30Just pan round.
0:52:30 > 0:52:32There. There. There he is.
0:52:41 > 0:52:43We're bit more old-fashioned.
0:52:44 > 0:52:47- We've seen a couple of things, yes. - A couple of things, yeah.
0:52:49 > 0:52:53There are over 1,000 works on show at this year's Summer Exhibition
0:52:53 > 0:52:55and the great thing is that most of them are for sale.
0:52:55 > 0:52:59Some more affordable than others, but there are things you can buy.
0:52:59 > 0:53:03There are amateur pictures for, perhaps, only £200-£300.
0:53:03 > 0:53:06or a print from a very well-established artist for a few hundred.
0:53:06 > 0:53:09Or you could blow the bank - and, indeed, a good many banks -
0:53:09 > 0:53:12and buy an Antony Gormley, perhaps, or an Anish Kapoor.
0:53:12 > 0:53:13The choice is yours.
0:53:13 > 0:53:16We caught up with some celebrity shoppers.
0:53:21 > 0:53:23- I love this Eileen Cooper. - This is so beautiful.
0:53:23 > 0:53:26First up, I met up with model Daisy Lowe.
0:53:28 > 0:53:30- Oh, that's quite good.- Which one?
0:53:30 > 0:53:33I quite like the naughty scene.
0:53:33 > 0:53:37Every year, I have always said, "Oh, next year I'll buy something."
0:53:37 > 0:53:39And this year is the year
0:53:39 > 0:53:41- that I'm going to. - You're determined to!
0:53:41 > 0:53:44I'm just going to have a look around and see what catches my eye
0:53:44 > 0:53:47- and work it out from there. - Is it a heart or a head thing?
0:53:47 > 0:53:49It's definitely a heart thing, It's always a heart thing with me!
0:53:51 > 0:53:55A girl after my own heart! Let's see what grabs your eye, shall we?
0:53:57 > 0:54:00- I love that.- That one?- Yeah.
0:54:02 > 0:54:05And Daisy Lowe isn't the only one looking for a purchase.
0:54:07 > 0:54:09You're in the mood for buying?
0:54:09 > 0:54:10- Sort of.- Have you found anything?
0:54:10 > 0:54:11We always look,
0:54:11 > 0:54:14because it doesn't feel like you're in a shop.
0:54:14 > 0:54:16What about the Sean Scully behind you?
0:54:16 > 0:54:19- It's the wrong shape. - KIRSTY LAUGHS
0:54:19 > 0:54:22- I haven't got that space on my wall. - There is a space above the sofa.
0:54:27 > 0:54:30I quite like that, but then, don't you think, if you had it
0:54:30 > 0:54:31in your house, you'd just want to sit on it?
0:54:31 > 0:54:35Wow! I love these guys. They're so cool!
0:54:36 > 0:54:38- I'd really like to just hang out with them.- Yes!
0:54:40 > 0:54:42The one at the top is beautiful.
0:54:45 > 0:54:49Every time a work is sold, a red dot is stuck to the wall.
0:54:51 > 0:54:57- Jaime Winston, you buy?- Yes, I do! When I've got money, yes, I do.
0:54:57 > 0:55:00- I attempt to.- You've bought already this time?- I have bought.
0:55:00 > 0:55:05I bought a piece called...Tink 1
0:55:05 > 0:55:06for my friend, Ali.
0:55:06 > 0:55:08You've bought one, and you're still looking?
0:55:08 > 0:55:12I'm still looking, yeah. I really like this one here,
0:55:12 > 0:55:14because it reminds me of my sister.
0:55:19 > 0:55:22'There is one more gallery to explore
0:55:22 > 0:55:24'and Daisy Lowe is still undecided.'
0:55:25 > 0:55:26Until...
0:55:26 > 0:55:29This! This is the one that I really want to get.
0:55:29 > 0:55:33- Oh, that is... - So, this is Annie Kevans.
0:55:33 > 0:55:35And this is Robert Mapplethorpe in drag.
0:55:35 > 0:55:37- It's amazing.- Amazing.- Yeah.
0:55:37 > 0:55:40He's got such a great face and, actually,
0:55:40 > 0:55:44I love HIM so much. I think he's so beautiful.
0:55:44 > 0:55:46- So, I would like to buy. - Going to go for that one?- Yeah.
0:55:46 > 0:55:48That's... I think you're mine!
0:55:48 > 0:55:50- Shall we go and buy? - Yes. Let's go and buy.
0:55:50 > 0:55:53OK! Ah!
0:55:59 > 0:56:01Well, so far, it's been a wonderful night.
0:56:01 > 0:56:04It's been a real celebration of talent, endeavour
0:56:04 > 0:56:05and there's lots of red dots.
0:56:05 > 0:56:08There's lots of red dots. There certainly has been some
0:56:08 > 0:56:09great, enthusiastic purchasing of art.
0:56:09 > 0:56:12Is there something in here that you think is really extra special?
0:56:12 > 0:56:15I have been inspired by lots of things going on in the gallery,
0:56:15 > 0:56:18but the real magic moment for me was seeing Yinka's wind sculpture
0:56:18 > 0:56:19being situated in the forecourt.
0:56:19 > 0:56:22And for me, something in Yinka's room,
0:56:22 > 0:56:25Bob and Roberta Smith, Art Makes Children Powerful.
0:56:25 > 0:56:30- What a statement.- Now just time for Laura Mvula playing Overcome.
0:56:33 > 0:56:34Top of the pops!
0:56:42 > 0:56:46# When your heart is broken down, down, down
0:56:48 > 0:56:52# And your head don't reach the sky
0:56:55 > 0:56:59# Take your broken wings and fly
0:57:01 > 0:57:05# When your head is hanging low, low, low, low
0:57:07 > 0:57:11# And the tears, they keep falling
0:57:15 > 0:57:17# Take your broken feet and run
0:57:17 > 0:57:18# Run!
0:57:20 > 0:57:22# Take your broken feet and run
0:57:23 > 0:57:25# Run!
0:57:33 > 0:57:36# Put the world upon your shoulders
0:57:36 > 0:57:40# Put the world upon your shoulders
0:57:40 > 0:57:42# There's nowhere left to hide
0:57:42 > 0:57:45# There's nowhere left to hide
0:57:47 > 0:57:49# Keep your head up, carry on
0:57:51 > 0:57:52# Keep your head up
0:57:54 > 0:57:56# And carry on
0:57:56 > 0:57:58# Keep your head up, yeah
0:58:01 > 0:58:03# And don't give up, no, no
0:58:05 > 0:58:07# Don't give up
0:58:08 > 0:58:09# Keep your head up
0:58:14 > 0:58:15# Yeah, yeah, yeah
0:58:17 > 0:58:20# Cos it ain't no time to die, die, die, die
0:58:23 > 0:58:25# Even when we suffer
0:58:25 > 0:58:28# We suffer, we suffer
0:58:30 > 0:58:33# Come together, be brave
0:58:33 > 0:58:34# Come together
0:58:36 > 0:58:39# All of God's children, sing
0:58:40 > 0:58:44# Round the mountain
0:58:44 > 0:58:46# All God's children run
0:58:47 > 0:58:49# Sing round the mountain, run
0:58:49 > 0:58:51# Around the mountain, run
0:58:51 > 0:58:53# Around the mountain
0:58:53 > 0:58:55# All God's children run
0:58:59 > 0:59:01# Round the mountain, yeah
0:59:04 > 0:59:06# Sing round the mountain
0:59:06 > 0:59:08# God's children
0:59:08 > 0:59:11# Around the mountain
0:59:11 > 0:59:12# All God's children
0:59:14 > 0:59:17# Run round the mountain, run. #
0:59:17 > 0:59:21Thank you so much, everybody. It's been a pleasure. Thank you!
0:59:21 > 0:59:23CHEERING AND APPLAUSE