Ryan Gander Announced as the Co-ordinator of the 2026 Royal Academy Summer Exhibition

9 January 2026

Ryan Gander has been announced as the Co-ordinator of the 2026 Royal Academy Summer Exhibition.

The 2026 Royal Academy Summer Exhibition’s theme is Interconnectedness. It will aim to explore ideas of entanglement, as well as the unexpected and fortuitous connections and associations between disparate things, no matter how abstract or illogical. Proof that, as humans, our outputs hold more commonality than separation, without us intentionally seeking it.

Submissions are welcome in any form and medium, and I invite you to share process-based or contentdriven work that will help shape these ideas. The curatorial approach will be to mix all media without discrimination; architecture, print, painting and sculpture will be integrated throughout the show, creating conversations with each other rather than being confined to their own spaces. I am hoping this will remind us that historically great artwork is cognitive first and retinal second.

As an advocate for art education and its importance to society, I am particularly keen to encourage degree students and recent graduates to submit to this year’s exhibition. – Ryan Gander OBE RA

Find out more via Royal Academy.

Image: Portrait of Ryan Gander, Courtesy the artist and Lisson Gallery. Photograph by Philip Sinden