Abstract

The RWEA autumn exhibition is selected and hung by a panel of Academicians appointed by the RWEA council. The RWEA is one of only five Royal Academies of Art in the UK. Two of the three drawings selected for this exhibition developed the themes Oliver initiated in the Jerwood Drawing Prize exhibition two years previously. In this work, the parameters of the research changed to accommodate a deeper investigation into the nature and method of showing narrative within ‘fine art’ works. In particular, the aim of the research was to investigate how obscure the visual storytelling could become while still providing an exposition of a story or scenario within a drawing. The drawings questioned the visual language previously used for narrative image making and set out to scrutinize the extent to which this could be developed into a more intricate mode of commentary on the subject matter. Subsequent feedback from other artists and curators helped formulate the future direction of this research. A catalogue was produced for this exhibition.