The sculpture that is causing a stir in London: Trump in front of Putin

A powerful sculpture of Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin has become the main topic of discussion at this year’s summer exhibition organized by the Royal Academy of Arts. This is the 258th edition of the world’s oldest exhibition with open submissions, which brings together works by established and emerging artists.

A bold work featuring Presidents Trump and Putin looking into each other’s eyes by British artist Tim Shaw is attracting a lot of attention at the Royal Academy of Arts’ summer exhibition.

The hands of controversial world leaders meet in an embrace wrapped in barbed wire. Below them, a roulette gives a clear idea of ​​the symbolism that the artist intends to convey with his work entitled, “Pin It On Them”.

“I think if you want to stand out at the Royal Academy, you almost have to do something a little bit spectacular. Tim Shaw’s work with Trump and Putin hits you hard, and it’s in a small room, so you can’t miss it. And, of course, it’s a critique of rulers in other countries, who many people feel are not behaving properly,” said art critic Tab Khan.

As the exhibition takes place in the heart of London, Khan feels that this work constitutes an important statement in defense of freedom of expression.

“For me, it’s also a testament that we still live in a country where we can say these things and be very critical of two of the most powerful people in the world, while that freedom is being curtailed in other parts of the world,” he said.
Pin It On Them, like many of the works on display at the Royal Academy, is for sale. Its price is 68 thousand pounds.

About 18,000 works of art were submitted this year for the summer exhibition. Ryan Gardner’s task was to select from this number only 1,800 works and then coordinate the organization of the exhibition.

The theme is “Connectivity,” a term Gardner admits he may have coined himself and dislikes because of its connections to the Internet.

He explained how the process of placing such a diverse range of artworks in the same space was accomplished.

“I am interested in how many collisions and connections exist between each work. When we think of exhibitions in the traditional curatorial sense, we think of themes, of a single connection that unites many things. But in an exhibition like this, which has been developing for 250 years and contains 1,800 works, we can say that there are multiple connections, and this in itself constitutes a theme”, said Gardner.
Paintings sit next to sculptures, which are placed next to video installations and even architectural studies.

But despite the differences between the works, Gardner thinks people are capable enough to make connections with them on their own.

“Each work will somehow be connected to the one on the left and the one on the right. This is not a miracle. It’s just the way the human brain naturally works. If we think about twins, we can’t help but make comparisons between the two things. Humans are extremely good at finding connections between things,” he said.

Some of the works are created by well-known names, respected artists who are members of the Royal Academy.

A work by the American artist, Joseph Grigely, has been chosen by the managing curator, Sinta Berry, as a good example of what the summer exhibition represents. The tower constructed from the wine bottle caps he has consumed serves as a visual indicator of the stress the artist has experienced.
“Artist Joseph Grigely lost his hearing as a child. Much of his work deals with life as a deaf person. This work was created over a long period of time during which he collected these wine bottle caps, and is a commentary on the stress he experienced as a result of the challenges associated with his disability,” said Berry.

The Summer Exhibition has been held annually since 1769. Many of the works on display are for sale and part of the proceeds go to the Royal Academy to support the exhibiting artists as well as to train the next generation of painters, sculptors and architects.

The exhibition is available to the public from June 16 and will remain open until August 23.