Artist Ryan Gander among Manchester Met alumni at Royal Academy Summer Exhibition

Manchester Met alumni are playing a leading role in this year’s Royal Academy of Arts Summer Exhibition, with internationally renowned artist Ryan Gander RA OBE curating the show and a host of other Manchester School of Art graduates including designer Thomas Heatherwick selected to exhibit their work. 

Running until August 23^rd at the Royal Academy of Arts in London, the Summer Exhibition is one of the world’s most celebrated open-submission exhibitions, showcasing work across painting, sculpture, photography, architecture and film from emerging artists and established names alike.  

Internationally renowned artist Ryan Gander RA OBE, a graduate of Manchester Met’s Manchester School of Art, chose the concept Interconnectedness for the show, exploring the relationships between ideas, materials and artistic practices, and highlighting how creative work often reveals shared meaning across disciplines and perspectives. 

Gander also used the exhibition as a platform to champion emerging talent, actively encouraging submissions from students and recent graduates alongside established practitioners. Among those selected is sculptor and Manchester School of Art BA (Hons) Fine Art alumnus Liam Fallon, who graduated in 2017 and whose work Hideously Clean is now on display.  

Fallon said: “To be selected and curated into this year’s exhibition feels particularly meaningful. I first applied to exhibit in 2014 during my first year studying Fine Art at Manchester School of Art. Whilst I wasn’t selected, being included now feels especially poignant, not least because the exhibition has been curated by fellow Manchester Met alumnus Ryan Gander. 

“During my studies, I spent countless hours looking at and learning from the work of many artists whose practices shaped my understanding of contemporary art, and to now be exhibiting alongside them feels like a genuine full-circle moment.”

Alongside Fallon’s work at the show is that of fellow Manchester School of Art graduate Rebecca Halliwell Sutton who is showing her striking wall sculpture from the exhibition’s series ‘From skin to land from walls to worlds’. She said: “It’s been a great experience being involved in this year’s Royal Academy Summer Show. 

“I’m really thankful to Ryan Gander and the panel who selected the work. During my time at Manchester Met I developed a commitment to material exploration in the studio which developed my sculpture practice, thanks to encouraging, critical and engaged tutors.” 

Halliwell Sutton and Fallon join a host of other successful Manchester School of Art alumni selected by Gander to exhibit including designer Thomas Heatherwick and fellow graduates Fiona Curran, Will Cruickshank and David Orme. 

Ryan Gander RA OBE graduated from Manchester School of Art in 1999, going on to become one of Britain’s foremost contemporary artists and gaining international prominence through conceptual artworks that range from sculpture to film, writing, graphic design, installation and performance. 

He has won numerous prizes including the 2010 Zurich Art Prize, the 2006 ABN Amro Art Prize, and the 2003 Dutch Prix de Rome for Sculpture. In 2014 he was made an honorary Doctor of Arts at Manchester Met for his contribution to the creative industries. 

Shelley McNulty, Head of the School of Art and Design at Manchester School of Art, added: “It is wonderful to see our talented alumni contributing to such a prestigious and globally recognised exhibition.  

“Ryan’s role as curator, alongside Liam and Rebecca’s selection, is a real testament to the strength, ambition and creativity that comes out of Manchester School of Art. We are incredibly proud of everything they have achieved and of the way they continue to support and inspire the next generation of artists.” 

This is the latest accolade for Manchester School of Art alumni following graduate Stanley Chow curating a BRIT Awards art trail earlier this year and, most recently, the University’s annual degree show unveiling final year students’ creativity and talent across all disciplines. 

Find out more about Ryan Gander RA OBE’s journey from Manchester Met student to internationally acclaimed artist in this film.