Our experiences of Saatchi Gallery exhibitions have been quite varied – from the ok, to the amazing, to the absolutely meh.
But the exhibitions they currently have on are definite must-see’s. Because you don’t know which work’s going to hit you first (BAM!) and have you thinking about it at least for the next week. Which in this distracted age is long. We won’t tell you our favorite but you’ll know straight away which one it is.
From the Hugo 20th anniversary exhibition – RED NEVER FOL2OWS – an exhibition that celebrates ‘the adventurous and unpredictable path creativity takes’, there are quite a few artists we want to see more of.
As you walk into the gallery, Cornered, 2013 by Mark Jenkins makes you stop and stare.
A red dome by sound artist Marco Barotti’s The Pulse of London, 2013 is unmissable in the centre of the space. But as we went in so did three little kids, and we didn’t realise it was a sound piece till Google told us.
We loved Painting Reality, 2010 by Iepe Rubingh where 500 litres of paint were let loose on the street at Rosenthaler Platz in Berlin. Now wouldn’t that be a fun sight to see tomorrow at Oxford Circus?
Bart Hess‘ Mutants, 2013, combines shiny latex with a grid of tubes and gave us the ‘good’ creeps.
The interactive Proximity/Repulsion, 2011-13 by Felix Bonowski, is perfect for getting gallery goers to wave their hands in the air and jump around. And more importantly to acknowledge that it’s not just about ‘me’ and the art, but in this case, it takes a ‘we’ to make the art.
And finally there’s the installation by Jeongmoon Choi that you shouldn’t miss. Using fluorescent threads she creates an immersive piece that feels other worldly.
On the lower floors of the Gallery we liked Richard Wilson‘s site specific sump oil and steel installation called 20:50, 1987. The oil reflects the ceiling and the room with surprising clarity. And it’s the stillness within the space, and the reverential air that its audience holds that will hit you first. Along with the smell of oil!
As for the Paper exhibition that fills the rest of the spaces, we loved how different it was from the ICA’s current Keep Your Timber Limber (Works on Paper) show. Saatchi’s paper doesn’t make a statement. It just shows you the variety of uses you can put the medium to. And it’s the gravity defying ones that we liked the most.
Rachel Adams’ Posturing, 2012
Rachel Adams’ Ottoman, 2011
Rebecca Turner’s Dubstruck, 2011
José Lerma and Hector Madera’s Bust of Emanuel Augustus, 2012
And last but definitely not the least, Marcelo Jácome’s Planos-Pipas n17, 2013 made us want to take to the skies.
With lots to see and a decent bookshop as well, we definitely recommend a visit to the Saatchi Gallery this weekend. And if the art fails to impress, then there’s always the wonderful Sloane Square that’s a guaranteed charm.
Paper
18 Jun – 3 Nov
Richard Wilson 20:50
Site-specific Installation
RED NEVER FOL2OWS
31 Jul – 1 Sept
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