Southwark College Art and Design student Clive Pickersgill-Lewis' artwork has been selected for the Royal Academy Summer Show. The young artist, also known as Baba, will be exhibiting his piece ‘Midnight Celebration’ alongside artwork produced by renowned and upcoming artists from across Europe at the Royal Academy of Arts until 2 January 2022.
The Summer Exhibition is the world’s oldest open submission exhibition which celebrates contemporary art and architecture and provides a platform for the artistic community to showcase their work. The exhibition features new and recent art created by established artists alongside emerging talent and first-time exhibitors.
Annette Cast, Principal of Southwark College, said: "We are delighted to see Baba's artwork showcased to the public at a world-class exhibition and are pleased to be supporting him on his educational journey at Southwark College.
"I want to congratulate Baba on this remarkable achievement and look forward to seeing him develop into a renowned artist and reaching his potential."
Baba has also been awarded the ‘Artist of the month’ prize from the Bethlem Gallery team, who helped him submit his work for the exhibition.
Sam Curtis, Curator at Bethlem Gallery, said: "We are pleased that Baba's artwork has been selected by the panel of judges for the prestigious Royal Academy of Arts Summer Exhibition. This level of recognition indicates the quality of his work, placing him literally amongst and next to internationally renowned artists such as Faith Ringgold. He is an exciting and talented artist; we are very proud to have supported him on his journey so far and can't wait to see what comes next."
Baba's piece was selected under the theme 'Reclaiming Magic' by the exhibition coordinator, Yinka Shonibare and a panel of artists. He said: "I'm thrilled to have been chosen for the exhibition and to share my work with the public. 'Midnight Celebration' was inspired by my research into African culture and spirituality, so it's great to be able to share these themes with a broad audience through my art.
"Since I became a student at Southwark College, I've had a positive experience. My teachers are very supportive. I've learnt about the different forms of art and had the opportunity to become a class representative to help make a difference in the experiences of other creative arts students. I'm looking forward to continuing developing as an artist and building on my skills so I can go to university in London."
Southwark College offers a variety of Creative Arts courses, including Art, Dance, Drama, Fashion and Media. Visit southwark.ac.uk/creativearts to find out more.
