The Royal Academy Summer Exhibition 2026 opens on 16 June for its 258th year, coordinated by artist and Royal Academician Ryan Gander under the theme 'Interconnectedness'. Gander, who first visited the exhibition as a schoolboy in 1991, leads a committee of Royal Academicians including Eileen Cooper, Michael Craig-Martin, and Goshka Macuga. The show features 1,851 artworks by 1,241 artists, selected from 18,000 digital entries, with works spanning architecture, print, photography, painting, film, and sculpture. Highlights include Antony Gormley's site-specific piece 'Hide' (2026), a ten-metre-high work by Joseph Grigely, and sculptures by Nina Beier, Kevin Francis Gray, Thomas J Price, and Kira Freije. Gander has introduced a visual device—a horizontal line at eye level—to create cohesion across the galleries.
This year's Summer Exhibition matters because it is the world's oldest open-submission contemporary art show, offering a unique platform for both emerging and established artists. Ryan Gander's personal journey from a schoolboy visitor to lead coordinator underscores the exhibition's role in nurturing artistic ambition. The theme of 'Interconnectedness' reflects contemporary concerns about global and artistic relationships, while the record number of submissions (18,000) demonstrates the enduring vitality and accessibility of the RA's open-call model. The exhibition also reinforces London's status as a global art capital each June.