Earlier this week we made the unholy decision to leave Greater Kennington in order to attend the City and Guilds Fine Art Graduates Show at the Oxo Tower. It had to move from the school in Kennington Park Rd. due to the sheer size of the show, but by the time you are reading this it will all be over. But fear not, we’re here to tell you about the upcoming Degree show at City and Guilds from 18 – 22 August. As with everything you need to book, and it is totally free.
These graduate shows are the high point of the Kennington art world calendar, and a great way to poke around some lovely Georgian buildings that are usually closed to us non arty folk. The shows are slightly bonkers, often beautiful, and never boring. In 2019 we deduced the main themes to be – 1. Saving the planet 2. Nudity 3. Saving the planet through nudity 4. Rocks. Top tip- if you’re ever questioned about the meaning of that swing set covered in fur, just look the person square in the face and say ‘its about IDENTITY’. Or be bang on trend with ‘It’s about COVID, obviously’. In addition to swings with fur, they also have exhibits of wood carving, masonry, and conservation. On most days the students studying these crafts are on hand and happy to show you what they are working on and how they do it. And it’s pretty wonderful.
City and Guilds London Art School has a very long and fascinating connection to Greater Kennington. Before being in its present location it was in Vauxhall, with one its early patrons being the Doulton Pottery factory who used their students to embellish their works. With a strong contingent of female students, it also has links to the Suffragette movement in the early 20th century. You can even but some of these works on Ebay!
