Our Year 13 Art students are feeling inspired after their trip to London last week, where they explored a wealth of art galleries and exhibitions across the city, discovering new concepts for their chosen coursework themes including experimentation, observation, interpretation, analysis and evaluation.
The students saw a range of eras, including the contemporary at the Tate Modern and more classic at the Tate Britain. The work included installations, films, music, photography and instruction pieces and revealed a ground-breaking approach to language, art and participation.
They were immersed by the large-scale paintings and works in the much-anticipated Anselm Keifer and Van Gogh exhibition at The Royal Academy.
Later, students explored the National Portrait Gallery and the Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer Portrait Award 2025. There, students explored installations using textiles, fibre and thread, painting, drawing, sculptural form and the work of many international artists working collaboratively to challenge power structures and reimagine the world through portraiture.
Students explored the major group exhibition, engaged in the intergenerational artists using portraiture to communicate vital ideas about power, resistance and survival.
They immersed themselves in the rich history and culture of the capital city and spent an afternoon at the British Museum. Students even located the new Banksy mural, partially removed from the exterior walls of the Royal Courts of Justice! They were engaged and enthused by the Art witnessed and explored and made links to wider practice, other thematic interests and their selected A level subjects. They were blown away from the intimate hand-crafted works on display to the monumental sculptural installations, offering narratives of difficulty, oppression, imperialism - contrasting alongside stories of resilience, love and hope.
Head of Art, Hannah Williamson, spoke about the group and the trip. She said: “It was a delight to spend time with the students on the trip, to feed off their intrigue and enthusiasm for the vast range of artwork we saw. They demonstrated impeccable behaviour and maturity travelling across our busy capital, which is a great cultural experience itself. The talented students are inspired and ready to implement their new ideas into their final year of A-Levels and we can’t wait to see what they present in the coming months.”
