A GORDON’S A-level student has achieved a first for the West End school by having one of her artworks selected for the Royal Academy’s Summer Collection.

Ruby Parsons’ portrait of her sister lying in bed scrolling through TikTok videos is hanging in the academy’s London gallery as part of the iconic annual celebration of art and artists.

Ruby is no stranger  to galleries in the capital, although she usually visits Tate Britain to see its collection of Turner paintings.

“It’s really cool to be selected,” said Ruby. “As soon as I found out I was calling all my family and my nan was saying ‘my granddaughter is famous!’ Not quite, nan!” 

The chosen portrait forms part of Ruby’s A-level personal study project looking at teenage girls.

“My project explores the experiences of teen girls specifically,” she said. 

“I was thinking about how they have been represented in art historically, including often being over-sexualised. My sister is my muse for a lot of my paintings, for which I am very grateful. 

“I went into her room and she was lying in bed, on TikTok, and she had this pink LED sign above it and I asked if I could take a picture of her. 

“Then I just stood on the end of her bed, holding the camera above my head hoping I was taking a cool shot. 

“It’s her way of shutting off, just lying in bed passively scrolling. It could be for hours. They talk about addiction but not why we are addicted in the first place. It’s ritualistic, a form of escapism.” 

The Royal Academy’s Summer Collection is open at the main galleries in Burlington House, Piccadilly, until August 20.

The show has been run without interruption since 1769, and this year features 1,614 works, from towering sculptures by the late Phyllida Barlow RA, to Richard Malone’s dramatic mobile installation.