Graduating students from the Royal College of Art MA photography course will display their work at four Fitzrovia galleries this month in place of their usual degree show which had to be cancelled due to Covid-19.
The degree show would not only have been an opportunity to bring together the culmination of two years’ study and practice, but a chance for students to work together as they transit from students to the outside world.
Now the RCA and the Fitzrovia galleries have come together to host an exhibition entitled With Fists, It Kicks, It Bites, to support this emerging generation of artists.
The galleries have recognised how vital the physical degree show is and have collaborated to stage an exhibition across their spaces for the graduating photography students. All the galleries have previously worked with or represented RCA photography alumni, which is how the conversation on how to help this year’s graduates first emerged and developed.
“The students’ work introduces us to an expanded practice of photography by celebrating the materiality and physicality of the image. The work of this new generation emphasises the critical and experimental engagement with photography as well as the importance of visual pleasure.” said Rut Blees Luxemburg, tutor in photography at the RCA.
Exhibition: With fists, It kicks, It bites. 11am to 6pm 18 to 22 August 2020. Across TJ Boulting, Edel Assanti, The Fitzrovia Chapel, and Webber Gallery. COVID-19 Safety: There will be no private view. The galleries will be open to the public with a limited number of visitors allowed in each space at a time. All visitors must wear masks, hand sanitiser will be provided and social distancing measures strictly observed.
Update 28 August: For those who could not visit the Fitzrovia galleries in person, you can now enjoy a virtual tour created by The Net Gallery at each space: TJ Boulting; Edel Assanti; The Fitzrovia Chapel; Webber Gallery.