Royal Academy Summer Exhibition

I can't remember how many pictures are submitted to the Royal Academy for their show every Summer. I think its something like 10,000 open entries, which get down selected to around 1,000 works.

It's a fun show, and this year they have set up rooms with different themes which also pull it away from any sort of portraiture dominance.

There's well-known Royal Academy artists like Quentin Blake, Norman Ackroyd and Tracey Emin, a whole room full of tapestries by Grayson Perry - referencing 21st century moral anguishes (The Vanity of Small differences) and plenty of other artists with RA after their names.

Alongside all of that are the open submission pieces. I guess it's a way to push continuous new ideas into the show, reflecting contemporary thinking.

The exhibition starts with El Anatsui's huge 'TSIATSIA - Searching for Connection' which adorns the outside of the Gallery.

Inside amongst the fine work are a few whimsical pieces, like Cornelia Parker's 'Stolen Thunder', which is a frame surrounded by the red dots used to signify purchase, and underneath it an equally large number of people actually buying it. A snip for the digital pigment print at a mere £250.

I might not afford the artwork, but the triumph and even the aroma of a copy of the enjoyable catalogue bursting with energy is still with me.