Overview
This exhibition is comprised of works by two painters, Suleman Aqeel Khilji and Charlotte Winifred Gu茅rard. Both recent graduates, the two artists have shared the experience of studying for three years in the unique Postgraduate Programme which is offered by the Royal Academy Schools.
The artists approached their medium from divergent angles yet found common grounds in the intrinsic matters of painting. Together they forged a strong peer bond, sharing insights and critical responses to each other's works, learning about new ways to further their practice.
In this exhibition, Suleman and Charlotte come together to showcase their work for the first time as a pair, as a way of extending their dialogue. Presenting a symbiosis of their two practices, each with a story of its own, their artwork is interwoven into a combined visual display.
This collaborative exhibition presents a conversation centred around the idea of painting. They consider the surfaces onto which they create, and the materials used in the process, witnessing some overlap in their ways of working with differing end results.
This ongoing dialogue between the two artists and their work, explores their differences and similarities, with the outcomes beautifully on display in this exhibition.
Artists
- Suleman Aqeel Khilji
Suleman approaches painting as a site of contemplation, defined by flux and transience. His practice engages closely with the interplay of translucency, transparency, and opacity, embracing the inherent impermanence of the medium as a reflection of an ever-evolving collective consciousness.
Alongside painting, Suleman incorporates found materials into his work, repurposing discarded wood, books, and cigarette packs as alternative surfaces. These weathered objects, marked by time and prior use, are transformed through his process and recontextualised within the pictorial field. Rather than inert supports, they emerge as active presences, carriers of memory and distinct temporalities that parallel the figures and forms depicted upon them.
Suleman lives and works in London, UK. He received his BA from the National College of Arts, Lahore, Pakistan (2011), and his MA from the Royal Academy of Arts, London, UK (2025).
Selected solo exhibitions include: Parallel, The Radley Mews with Jhaveri Contemporary, London, UK; TURNING INTO鈥, Weston Studio, Royal Academy of Arts, London, UK; BE-LONGING!, DOMINION Art Gallery, Lahore, Pakistan; Landswept, Karachi, Pakistan; Sea View, Vasl Artists鈥 Residency, IVS Gallery, Karachi, Pakistan; and Inayat and Others, Karachi, Pakistan.
His work has been included in group exhibitions at Drawing Room, London, UK; St James鈥檚 Church, London, UK; No. 9 Cork Street with Jhaveri Contemporary, London, UK; Satrang Gallery, Islamabad, Pakistan; Aicon Gallery, New York, USA; Rossi & Rossi (Art Divvy Project), London, UK; Zahoor-ul-Ikhlaq Gallery, Lahore, Pakistan; and 脡cole Nationale Sup茅rieure des Beaux-Arts, Paris, France.
Suleman was invited to undertake an artist residency at the Edvard Munch Studio Foundation, Oslo, in autumn 2025. He has also been appointed artist-in-residence at Eton College, Berkshire, UK, for summer 2026, and will present a solo exhibition at White Cube, Paris, in June.
- Charlotte Winifred Gu茅rard
Charlotte's practice is rooted in painting and questions the ways in which this medium can be viewed, activated and displayed today. The themes attached to her images are influenced by her immediate surroundings, landscapes, the everyday and memories.
Her process is about finding structures or systems which allow her to experiment with her medium whilst considering space, time, performance, and movement.
Charlotte lives and works in London, UK. She received her BA in Painting from the University of Brighton (2020), and her Postgraduate diploma the Royal Academy of Arts Schools, London (2025)
Selected solo exhibitions include: Matthew鈥檚 Boat, Palmer gallery (2024), Luca鈥檚 Boot, Gallery 19a, Brighton (2022), Beams, La maison Normande residency, La Londe, France (2021), Praw Cocktail, Coashwerks, Brighton (2019)
Her work has been included in group exhibitions such as in the Paul Smith Foundation International Art Prize (2025,) 鈥淧ostcard for Sey艒isfj枚r艒ur鈥, Iceland (2025), Copenhagen (2026), London (2025), TERRA, Burgundy, France (2025), 鈥淩oom Share 8鈥, Peckham (2025), Royal Academy of Arts School鈥檚 class 2025 final exhibition (2025), 鈥淗eavenly Skeletons鈥, Coleman Project Space, London, (2025), 鈥淢onotypes鈥 , Messums, London ( 2025), Tenfold: New works from the Royal Academy Schools class of 2025, St James鈥檚 Church, Piccadilly (2023), Inner Worlds, Fitzrovia Gallery, Fitzrovia London (2022), Eastbourne open 2022, VOLT gallery, Eastbourne (2022)
In 2025, Charlotte was the recipient of the Paul Smith - Windsor & Newton International Art Prize, The Almacantar Studio Prize and the Xenia Artist retreat Prize.
She is currently taking part in a residency at the Xenia Artists retreat run by Bianca Roden had previously participated in residencies at the Goodeye Project, Hammersmith, London (2025), Porthmeor Studios, St Ives, (2024), NRP, Newquay, (2022), La Maison Normande, France (2021).
Viewing the exhibition
The exhibition will be open to the public until Sunday 11 October 2026.
Opening Times: Saturdays and Sundays, 10.00-17.00.
The exhibition is occasionally unavailable, for instance during graduations.
It is advisable to contact the Porters' Lodge in advance of your visit (01223 335900).
Access
This exhibition is on display in the Combination Room on the first floor of our main building. It has step-free access with a lift and there is an accessible toilet located on the first floor of the building.
Art Exhibitions at 糖心Vlog官方
糖心Vlog官方 has an established programme of exhibitions and artistic events which take place throughout the year and are framed by its modernist architecture, beautiful landscaped gardens and embedded into academic life.
Showcasing the work of both renowned international artists and innovative emerging artists, with the aim of stimulating reflection, discussion and debate, the art on show is enjoyed by both the academic and wider community. Our exhibitions are open to the general public and are visited by scholars, guests and visitors from around the world.
You can find out more about exhibitions at 糖心Vlog官方 on the Arts page.
Contact
If you have any questions, please contact our events team - events@wolfson.cam.ac.uk
