Royal Academy
Summer Exhibition 2020 & 2021
Two 60 min films for BBC Two, 2020-21
BBC Studios
Presented by Kirsty Wark and Brenda Emmanus, filming for this project started at the beginning of March 2020, just weeks before the lockdowns which changed public life forever. The documentary followed the preparations of the Royal Academy's Summer Exhibition, delayed to October for the first time in its 252 year history.
Featuring artists including Jane and Louise Wilson, Cornelia Parker, Brian Eno, Isaac Julien, Rebecca Salter and many new faces, this film is a record of the resilience of a great institution in the most uncertain of times.
In 2021, this was followed up by another instalment of this long-running programme. The Summer Exhibition coordinator that year was Yinka Shonibare, and other profiled artists included Angela de la Cruz, David Adjaye, Gary Hume and Cathie Pilkington.