REJECTS 2026

REJECTS 2026

Sunday 28 June 2026
-  Thursday 18 June 2026


A celebration of artwork rejected from the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition! 

Hold your horses! It’s that time of year again and now in its 4th year, REJECTS is back and better than ever. 

We’ve ventured over to West London, and it’s definitely not one to miss. The Private View kicks things off in style on Thursday 18th June, with another late-night opening on Friday 19th June.

Come feast your eyes on an incredible selection of artwork from some of the best REJECTS in town, there will  be music playing and drinks flowing.

The Bakery (Art Friend Gallery Pop Up), 82D Portobello Road, London, W11 2QD
18th - 18th June

BOOK NOW

Keep your eyes peeled for the full line up of artists, but for now here is a little teaser!
Now in its fourth year and previously featured in The BBC, The Guardian, and The Art Newspaper, REJECTS is back this June with a brand new line-up of artists and artworks that didn’t make it into the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition. Each year around 18,000 artists apply to the RA, but only about 1,500 make the cut, leaving a whole lot of talent that might otherwise go unseen.

Housed in a quaint 19th-century bakery on Notting Hill's iconic Portobello Road, this year’s exhibition provides a defiant spotlight for these brilliant, overlooked works. Spanning painting, sculpture, photography, textiles and mixed media, the show features a fresh mix of emerging and established artists reclaiming their space on the summer art calendar. Expect a range of bold statements and thoughtful storytelling, from bright, joyful paintings and embroidered buildings to hauntingly beautiful figures.

GET YOUR COMPLIMENTARY TICKETS HERE 

Big shout out to our lovely friends over at The Bakery Gallery on Portobello Road for letting us exhibit our REJECTS exhibition in their gorgeous space. This quaint artist led gallery rent their space out, so if you're like me and on the hunt, you should pop them a MESSAGE!

 
These cool east end guys at Vinarius are supplying an absolute feast of wines for us on both the opening nights as well as throughout the exhibition. Incase you're a wino, heres what we have in store 🤤
  • Zibibbo - From Italy (Sicily) it's a more structured white very famous for seafood pairing
  • Lambrusco Gasato - From Italy (Emilia-Romagna) it's a Sparkling red very refreshing and juicy
  • Estreia Sparkling - From Portugal, it's a more interesting alternative to a traditional Prosecco
  • Frappato - From Italy (Sicily) is a light red very fruity and ideal for summer, as you can serve it both room temperature and chilled

AF’s mission – to reduce the alcohol in people’s lives by making alternatives that taste and feel as good, or better and make not drinking cool AF.

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