Why Small Works Matter
Discussing his practice, Anish Kapoor remarked that "just because a thing is big, it doesn't mean it's of any interest or even good." Kapoor was reflecting on the assumptions we attach to scale: smallness is often associated with ephemerality, and largeness with permanence, monumentality, and physical presence. He asks, “How, then, does one play with work and turn into poetry this difficult question of the size of a thing?”
While Kapoor’s oeuvre is characterised by its grand scale, the same thought process can be applied to small artworks. If scale carries cultural and psychological associations, how does an artist invest a modestly sized work with significance? How does a small object command attention without relying on spectacle?
The relationship between scale and value has long occupied the art world. Yet the tendency to equate importance with size remains surprisingly persistent. Recent commentary has noted a renewed enthusiasm for small format works among collectors, with articles asking why small art has become "big" once again. Such observations suggest a trend, but they also overlook a more fundamental point: small art has never been a secondary category.
Some of the most celebrated works in art history are remarkably intimate in scale. Paintings by Jan van Eyck, Rembrandt and Vilhelm Hammershøi derive their power not from physical dominance but from their capacity to sustain prolonged attention. Their achievement lies in precision, atmosphere and psychological depth. Scale is incidental to their significance.
Economic realities have undoubtedly contributed to renewed interest in small works. Rising storage costs, increasingly expensive shipping and a desire to live with artworks rather than store them have encouraged buyers to reconsider the appeal of large-scale pieces.
Yet practical considerations tell only part of the story. In an age defined by visual saturation, smaller works offer a different kind of encounter. Rather than competing for attention, they reward it.
Small-scale works establish a distinct relationship between object and viewer. They invite proximity. Rather than overwhelming the senses, they encourage concentration and careful observation. Their presence is often measured not by how much space they occupy, but by the intensity of the experience they create.
Small Scale, Big Ambition
The AOAP Projects x RSA exhibition brings together artists who demonstrate that reducing scale does not mean reducing ambition. If anything, the challenge of working small often demands an even greater degree of precision, confidence and creative control.
Darren Reid is known for hyperrealist paintings that often stretch beyond a metre in length. Here, he distils the same astonishing level of detail and technical precision into works that can be experienced at close range. Nothing is lost in the transition.
A similar transformation can be seen in the work of Manon Steyaert. Her paintings carry the energy, confidence and spatial ambition often associated with much larger works. Rich colour, expressive sculptural form and a strong sense of movement allow the paintings to feel expansive despite their scale, demonstrating how visual impact is not dependent on physical size.
For David Cass, meanwhile, intimacy has always been central to the work itself. Within his Light on Water project, miniature seascapes are painted onto salvaged maritime fragments and found papers. Displayed alongside larger works on board, they demonstrate how modest surfaces can carry equally profound emotional and narrative weight.
Collecting Beyond Scale
Small works are often described as an accessible entry point for new collectors, and that is certainly part of their appeal. They provide opportunities for both first-time buyers and established collectors to acquire original artworks at a wide range of price points.
But accessibility should not be confused with compromise. The works in this exhibition demonstrate that scale is simply one creative decision among many. The most memorable artworks are not necessarily the ones that occupy the most space. They are the ones that continue to reveal themselves over time.
The AOAP Projects x RSA Illuminated exhibition, and the AOAP Projects Small Works collection celebrate exactly that idea: artworks that prove significance is measured not in metres, but in impact.
Writer Victoria Lucas - @artbyvictoiralucas
