Kingston School of Art Degree Show highlights creative innovation, collaboration and emerging voices

Kingston School of Art (KSA) opens its doors this June for the annual Degree Show at the Knights Park campus, transforming studios, workshops and gallery spaces into a showcase of emerging creative practice.

Bringing together work from graduating Foundation, undergraduate and postgraduate students, the week-long exhibition offers a snapshot of the ideas and experimentation shaping the next generation of artists and designers.

Running from Saturday 6 June to Friday 12 June, the show opens with a public celebration and continues throughout the week. Visitors can expect an ambitious and diverse range of work spanning fine art, photography, graphic design, architecture and interdisciplinary practices. More than an exhibition, the Degree Show presented work at a pivotal moment – where education meets industry – as students test, refine and present their ideas in a live, public setting.

Among those exhibiting is fine art student George Stokes, whose print-based series Illegitimi Non Carborundum, or Don’t Let the Bastards Grind You Down, explores mythologised ideas of British identity through layered, satirical imagery. Drawing on his upbringing in the West Midlands, George combines digital collage and traditional etching to create scenes that blur historical and contemporary references. A recurring figure based loosely on the artist moves through these chaotic compositions, appearing within scenes that challenge fixed ideas of national identity.

George explained that the work raises questions rather than presenting clear answers. "I'm interested in this idea of a mythologised Britain – something people talk about wanting to go back to, but that hasn’t ever really existed," the 23-year-old from Halesowen said. "By mixing historical references with things you see now, it becomes difficult to place in a specific time. A lot of the imagery comes from things I’ve genuinely seen and part of the work is exposing how absurd some of it feels."

Photography student Liv Harris took a more personal approach to their final project, in the twilight and when the sky is clouded, a project rooted in an archive of around 500 glass negatives taken by their grandfather. Spanning technical studies and intimate family scenes, the images form the basis of a reflective exploration of memory, inheritance and image-making. Working with analogue processes, Liv developed the photographs using plant-based materials, including a self-made rosemary-based developer, allowing chance and material sensitivity to shape the final images.

Liv describes the project as a way of connecting past and present through both subject and process. "These glass negatives are such incredible objects – the detail is so sharp, and it feels like I’m getting to know family members I’ve never met through them," the 20-year-old from Kingston upon Thames said. "Using plant-based developers means I don’t have complete control, it allows the materials to have a voice within the work while creating a connection between past and present."

In graphic design, Diya Santhosh's project Kalam reimagines the historical typeface Caslon’s Two Line Egyptian for a contemporary context. Developed in collaboration with an Egyptian architect, Reem Amgad, the work examines the cultural references embedded within typography while reinterpreting them through a global contemporary lens. The project culminates in a large-scale anatomical poster of the letterforms and a tactile, carefully-constructed type specimen book, reflecting Diya’s interest in materiality alongside digital design.

She said the experience of collaboration was central to her development. "Working with someone from a completely different country was my first experience of that kind of collaboration, and it taught me how nuanced it really is," commented the 23-year-old from India. "A lot of what I did went beyond the brief – reaching out, presenting the work and putting myself in front of different design communities including Type&Faces, London. Designing a full typeface was also a big technical challenge, but it feels like a stepping stone into the industry and something I can build on moving forward." 

Nick Gorse, Deputy Dean of Kingston School of Art, said the Degree Show demonstrated not only the quality of creative work emerging from KSA, but also the strength of the faculty’s teaching approach.

"Our students graduate with more than technical excellence and creative ambition,” he said. "They leave equipped with the adaptability, resilience, collaborative mindset and critical thinking increasingly demanded by employers and the wider creative sector."

He added that these attributes are embedded through Kingston University’s Future Skills programme, which integrates professional capabilities across all courses. "These skills are evident throughout the Degree Show — not just in the quality of the work, but in how it is conceived and presented," Gorse said. "Our graduates are increasingly recognised for their ability to think critically, collaborate effectively and respond to complex challenges. This exhibition reflects a model of creative education that balances experimentation with employability, individuality with community, and creativity with social impact."

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