David Adjaye, founder and principal of Adjaye Associates, has dropped his curator role to design the Architecture Room at the Royal Academy of Arts' Summer Exhibition 2020 due to "diary clashes" in David Adjaye's agenda and forced to leave him from his curator role this year, according to The Architects' Journal. 

Adjaye's appointment was announced in December last year by the Piccadilly-based institute, he would accept projects tackling site, geography, climate, political climate, people, community and culture for the Architecture Room at the RA's Summer Exhibition 2020. 

The official opening of the exhibition was planned to open in June, but the RA postponed the opening of the show due to safety issues caused by the coronavirus pandemic and "a diary clash has forced Adjaye to drop out of the curator role," stated The Architects' Journal. 

After Adjaye's leave, the gallery replaced the appointment with Czech architect and co-founder and director of AI DESIGN Eva Jiřičná, who previously curated the room in 2013. 

Eva Jiřičná, co-founder and director of AI DESIGN. Image © Matej Slávik.

"David sadly could no longer commit the time later in the year due to clashes in his schedule and Jiřičná has kindly stepped in to implement the vision for the room," a spokesperson told The Architects' Journal.

"Due to Covid-19 and the exhibition dates moving to October, David sadly could no longer commit the time later in the year due to clashes in his schedule and Eva Jiricna has kindly stepped in to implement the vision for his room." 

"David selected the work from the public send-in submissions. Eva took over and encouraged particular entries from academicians and has had the vision in arranging the room – it is really her room," a spokesperson added.

The AJ also reported that there is another change at this year's Architecture Room, which sees the lack of prizes and the prize money. 

In 2019, a pencil and charcoal design by Threefold Architects, entitled From Forest to Facade, A Woodlands Survey, won the top Rocco Forte Hotels architecture prize which was awarded with £5,000 cash prize.

According to a recent comment taken from a spokesperson for the AJ: "There are no architecture prizes this year due to Covid-19," stated the website. WAC understands that the impact of the pandemic has cut a large portion of sponsorships or funds for prizes.

Jiřičná will continue to curate this year's Architecture Room under the vision of David Adjaye, while the exhibition is set to be held from 6 October 2020 to 3 January 2021, announced at the RA's website.

This year’s exhibition includes new works by Tracey Emin, Rebecca Horn, Anselm Kiefer, Julian Schnabel, Gillian Wearing and Ai Weiwei.

The Royal Academy’s annual Summer Exhibition, held since 1979, is the world’s largest open submission contemporary art show. Now in its 249th year, the Summer Exhibition provides a unique platform for emerging and established artists to showcase works across painting and printmaking, photography, sculpture, architecture and film.

Previous curators for the Architecture Room include Piers Gough, Farshid Moussavi and Eric Parry.

Top image: David Adjaye, courtesy of Adjaye Associates 

> via The Architects' Journal