We were thrilled to hear that a photograph by Francesca Catling, Trinity’s Alumni Engagement Manager, was selected for the prestigious RA Summer Exhibition – an annual celebration of art from professional and amateur artists alike.
When she took a quick iPhone photo on holiday with NCT friends during the summer of 2020, she never imagined it would end up hanging on the walls of the Royal Academy. But this year, that spontaneous snapshot was selected for the exhibition, and has even sparked an unexpected connection.
“I just snapped the picture and quite liked it at the time, I actually printed it out and gave copies to everyone who’d been on the trip, but then didn’t really think much more about it. Earlier this year, a friend told me she’d submitted a photo to the RA Summer Exhibition, and she encouraged me to enter. Everyone had always said it was a good picture, so I thought, why not? I sent it in without really thinking much of it… and then it got shortlisted. And then it got accepted. It was amazing!
“I was really surprised, because I’m not an artist – it was just a snap on an iPhone. But I suppose that’s the point of the Summer Exhibition, and what makes it so brilliant, is that anyone can enter.
“The best part of this experience was attending something called Varnishing Day, which is an amazing tradition where all the exhibiting artists gather in the courtyard at the Royal Academy with a steel band, then process down to St James’s Church for a service. It’s what they used to do when artists would literally varnish their work just before the opening.
“I did feel a bit of a fraud, though – others were asking how many times I’d submitted before, and for me it was the first time. There were people who’d entered multiple times.
“My kids just said, ‘Why would anyone want to see a picture of us?’
“I called the photo A Brief Reprieve, because that’s what it felt like – a magical little pocket of time in the middle of so much uncertainty. Every time I look at it now, I notice something different.
“Then just the other day, I got an email to my work address asking, ‘Are you the Francesca Catling with a photo in the RA Summer Exhibition?’ I thought, that’s a bit strange… what do they want? It turned out it was from someone whose parents built the house in the photo 45 years ago. She said she goes to the exhibition every year, and when she saw the picture online she instantly recognised the swimming pool. She told me it made her really happy to see other people enjoying it.
“It was such a lovely connection to make – to find out more about the house and its story.
“I go to the Summer Exhibition every year, so to actually be in it this time has been incredibly exciting. And yes, I have got a few more photos I’m thinking of submitting next year. We’ll see – I’ve been inspired now!”
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Last year, one of our students Finn, was featured at the RA Young Artists Summer Show, read here.
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