Almost a month has passed since the RCA degree show, and the dust (or maybe paint fumes?) has finally settled enough for me to reflect.
We opened our doors on Tuesday 17th June 2025, welcoming the VIPs of the art world. Or, at least, those who weren’t at Art Basel, which felt like… most of them. Still, the ones who made it were lucky to witness a show from the top art school in the world. No doubt, some of them were already looking to prematurely discover the next Tracey Emin.
The following evening, Wednesday 18th, brought our modestly restricted two guests per artist. They really were the true VIPs, along with the savvy few who sweet-talked their way past security.
The rest of the week felt like a heatstroke-induced fever dream. A proper mid-June UK heatwave hit, and there we were, lined up beside our work like wax figures at Madame Tussauds, slowly melting. We stood, smiling politely, waiting to be approached by Charles Saatchi (who popped in for what can only be described as a speed-dating tour of the show) or a White Cube curator. More often, though, we found ourselves deep in conversation with someone’s uncle, hoping it was someone important, only to discover they took Art A-Level in 1970 and just really wanted to talk about it.
The lack of air-con in the RCA galleries was almost comical. I think all the budget went into the underfloor heating which, yes, I loved in winter, but by June was more of a slow roast. Wax. Dripping. Forehead.
In the months leading up to the show, everything became about the show. Calendars blocked out. Deadlines doubled. Websites polished. Business cards ordered. The buzz was real, stressful, but exciting. There was this collective sense that we were grasping for the opportunities we’d been promised when we joined the course. And honestly? The show delivered. It felt exciting, meaningful, and about a thousand times more fulfilling than my BA degree show at Camberwell College of Arts the year before.
My own work, in case you missed it on the 6,000 Instagram stories, was an installation titled “All the Wicked Are Here”: 150 portraits, one for every person on the painting course. Arranged in 10 rows of 15 on shelving, it became a talking point. And boy, did people talk.
Questions rolled in:
“How did you choose the background colours?”
“Why’s it called that?”
“How did you arrange them—was it by height? Alphabetically? Vibes?”
And my personal least favourite:
“Who are these people?” (Please… Jeremy… it’s literally the painting course.)
The best part? The conversations. I had some wonderfully weird and meaningful chats with aunts, uncles, grandmothers, and yes, actual gallerists. Some visitors joyfully picked out familiar faces in the crowd. One couple even played Guess Who, using questions like, “Does this person listen to Joe Rogan?” or “Is this person an alcoholic?”
All of this energy, these stories and faces and fragments have led me to my next body of work. I’m now painting a new collection of portraits for a show, coming this September. More details very soon
In the meantime, if you’d like to hear more about the RCA show, check out the reviews here at the London Art Round Up or Blowout Magazine ,or scroll through my Instagram for all the juicy bits.
Thanks to everyone who came, talked, and melted with us.
Ruby x