Alumni Frank To exhibits gunpowder artworks at Royal Cambrian Academy
Award-winning University of Huddersfield fine art graduate Frank To has been selected to exhibit at the Royal Cambrian Academy 2026 Annual Exhibition in Conwy, Wales.
Frank’s gunpowder artwork, which uses illegal firearms that have been ground down and transformed into paint powder, has gained him international recognition as a leading contemporary artist amongst art critics and high profile collectors alike, including actor and former University of Huddersfield Chancellor Sir Patrick Stewart.
His work is also in some of the most prestigious public collections, such as the Northern Ireland Executive, and University of Cambridge.
In recent years, Frank, who graduated from Huddersfield in 2004 and now lectures at Inverness College UHI, has exhibited alongside some of the greats of the Scottish and international art and design scene such as Antony Gormley, Banksy, Damien Hirst, Francis Bacon, Jimmy Choo, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Peter Howson.
Commenting on being selected for the Royal Cambrian Academy and representing the best of Scottish contemporary art, Frank said: “For me, it is an honour and humbling to be selected to show at the Royal Cambrian Academy in Wales. It’s important that I constantly push myself and test my limits in my work. The recent gunpowder piece that has been accepted is testimonial of that hard work. I am pleased that Royal Cambrian Academy have recognised that and accepted me into their annual exhibition.
“Although times are difficult for artists especially with the recent global conflict and economic downturn, it’s important for me that I constantly keep pushing myself as an artist. Usually that would involve insane long hours in the studio neglecting sometimes basic human needs. While some may think that is extreme, I cannot settle for anything less. What is it worth in the end? It’s not the things I have won, but the standards I set.”
Tabish Khan, established UK national art critic said: "Powerful art often hits you like an explosion, making you step back. Frank To takes it further by incorporating mini-explosions into his work, using gunpowder to scorch the paper. He harnesses the chaotic nature of gunpowder so that even he doesn’t know exactly how it will turn out. In doing so, he is transforming an instrument of violence into a creative act. These powerful works don’t just scorch the paper; they remain burned into our memories even after the smoke has cleared."
Frank To is showing his new gunpowder works in the Royal Cambrian Academy annual open in Conwy until 30th May.
