Our guide to the best of London's degree shows in 2011.
Every summer, London's art students showcase their hard work over the preceding years in a series of degree shows taking place all across the capital. All of the major art schools, colleges and universities open their doors at various points to encourage critics, collectors, curators and anyone with an interest in art to come and see what all the fuss is about. London is a veritable hotbed of creativity and this is an amazing opportunity to spot (and maybe even buy) works by the next generation of artistic talent. The only trouble is there's so darned much to sift through. We've picked out some highlights to help you out.
Royal College of Art
24th June - 3rd July
Various venues
One of the biggest and most respected of the London art colleges, this June and July Show RCA 2011 includes work by over 400 graduating art and design students across its two main sites. Look out for the delicately detailed works of the brilliant Laura Culham and Jonny Briggs' darkly beguiling photography, both on show at the Battersea site (Howie Street, SW11 4AY).
Chelsea College of Art
Undergraduate - 18th-25th June; Postgraduate - 2nd-8th September
16 John Islip Street, SW1P 4JU
On account of its convenient location, just near Tate Britain, the Chelsea shows are often the most popular with the casual art fan. Both undergraduate and postgraduate shows are worth checking out, as Chelsea tends to place an emphasis on craft and technique. Alumni include Anthony Caro, Gavin Turk and Mark Wallinger.
Central St Martins
16th-23rd June
Various venues
Immortalised in Pulp's 'Common People' (“She studied sculpture at St Martins College”), St Martin's is probably the trendiest and best known of all London's art colleges. Although perhaps better known for its fashion courses, art here is strong too and this June sees the BA(Hons) graduates exhibiting across both the Charing Cross Road and Archway sites.
The Slade
16th-22nd June
Gower Street WC1E 6BT
In contrast to the laissez-faire attitude at St Martin's, the experience at Slade is pretty intense and process-based, with tutorials and lectures every week (rather than maybe once a term). Consequently it suits a particular type of artist – we like the look of Thomas Qualmann's mathematical experiments, whilst Rowena Hughes is utterly wonderful.
Goldsmiths
23rd - 27th June
Lewisham Way, SE14 6AF
Goldsmiths is known as one of the more experimental art colleges out there, with an emphasis on the conceptual. Goldsmiths was the Alma Mater of many of the YBAs – Damien Hirst, Gary Hume, Julian Opie, Sam Taylor-Wood, Liam Gillick et al – but things have kept moving since then. Check out some of the more challenging works across the Ben Pimlott and Richard Hoggart buildings, and Studio B in the Barriedale building.
Camberwell
Undergraduate - 21st -25th June; Postgraduate - 2nd-8th September
45-65 Peckham Road, SE5 8UF
Like Goldsmiths, Camberwell has a reputation for being pretty out-there, so this is a good chance to check out the wackiest that London's art students can come up with. If it all gets a bit much we suggest taking a breather in the new café at the lovely South London gallery just next door.
Wimbledon
Undergraduate - 17th-23rd June; Postgraduate - 2nd-8th September
Merton Hall Road, London SW19 3QA
Wimbledon places a strong emphasis on drawing throughout its undergraduate programme, so whatever direction artists later choose to go in, it's fairly safe to say that it's based upon sound technique. Wimbledon is probably one of the less avant-garde colleges out there (Peter Doig is an alumnus) but the quality here is usually very high.
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