Ron Arad at the Royal Academy 'Summer Exhibition 2026'
London
16 June - 23 August 2026

At the Royal Academy of Arts Summer Exhibition 2026, celebrated designer and artist Ron Arad presents a playful and thought-provoking group of works that explore perception, language and cultural memory through the familiar format of the optician’s eye chart. Shown within this year’s exhibition, curated by Ryan Gander under the theme of Interconnectedness, Arad’s contributions invite visitors to reconsider the act of looking itself.

The presentation includes a series of eye-test prints—WARHOL EYE TEST, PICASSO EYE TEST, WILDE EYE TEST, and DUCHAMP EYE TEST — in which the conventional letters of an ophthalmic chart are replaced by the names and references of iconic cultural figures. Blending humour with visual experimentation, these works challenge viewers to navigate recognition and legibility while reflecting on the enduring influence of artists and writers who have shaped modern culture.

Alongside the prints, Arad exhibits ONE PAGE EYE TEST, a sculptural chair that extends the eye-chart motif into three dimensions. Installed in front of the prints, the work transforms a functional object into an engaging visual puzzle. Also on view is ABOUT TIME, a work that continues the artist’s longstanding interest in reimagining everyday forms through unexpected material and conceptual interventions.