Being lucky enough to visit the ambitious showcase of graduating BFA and MFA students at Oxford University's Ruskin School of Art Degree show, I was able to witness first-hand the vibrant, diverse blend of painting, sculpture, installation and performance that this exhibition offers to tackle contemporary themes. The building of 128 Bullingdon Road Studios being designed as a blank, clutter-free canvas allowed for a visitor to step from a pristine, quietly lit room housing delicate photography directly into a chaotic, media-diverse room filled with raw sculpture or live performance. This eclectic atmosphere blended overlapping audio installations, performance art and loud conversation, which contributed to the overall sensory metamorphosis.

The exhibition was multimedia heavy, moving well beyond traditional canvases by including immersive, moving-image pieces, rigorous sculptural installations, and complex performance art; and as I navigated the winding, purpose-built studios at 128 Bullingdon Road, the sharp contrast in mediums really gripped me. I found myself moving from the vivid striking digital narratives of Maliha Abidi, which brilliantly dominated the viewer's eyeline, straight into the heavy, grounded structural textures of Jack Wolley's physical installations and three-dimensional form. Notably, the bold painting and graphic layouts of both Bliss Ashley and Sasha Hardy, along with the immediate visual arrest of their large scale canvases directed my focus to the traditional (yet modern) fine art presentations. This juxtaposition of clean digital imagery, tactile and raw execution along with dynamic, striking visuals perfectly captures the untamed ambition of the 2026 cohort.

All in all, I felt completely overwhelmed (in the best way possible) by the sheer vivacity bouncing off the walls at Bullingdon road studios. I particularly loved how the cohort didn't shy away from heavy topics; whereby I repeatedly noticed brilliant, sharp critiques on digital burnout, migration, and changing physical environments. And whilst these multimedia installations were outstanding, I found the audio from the video booths occasionally bled into the quiet painting galleries, making it hard to focus on the quieter canvases. Ultimately, I left feeling incredibly inspired by the myriad of raw talent expressed in this display. If you want to see where contemporary art is heading next, I highly recommend grabbing a coffee and spending an hour here before it closes.