Explore three floors of literature and design history at the UK’s most prestigious rare book fair. Whether you’re a collector searching for a lost masterpiece, or a browsing bibliophile with an addiction to classics, over a hundred friendly booksellers will be waiting to share their unexpected treasures. If you love books and works on paper, Firsts London is the fair you can’t miss this spring.
Presented by
Join Fat Boy Slim in conversation with Dylan Jones OBE, journalist and author, for a special Beyond the Streets London Lates talk.
Saatchi Gallery members are invited to explore Beyond the Streets London until 9.30PM.
Not a member? Become a member from £35/year for free entry & additional benefits.
A valid membership card must be shown on arrival and no exceptions.
From defiant train writers to powerful large-scale muralists, over 100 international artists will be featured in BEYOND THE STREETS LONDON, opening this February. The exhibition, supported by adidas Originals, will be the most comprehensive graffiti & street art exhibition to open in the UK, and is set to take over all three floors of London’s iconic Saatchi Gallery.
Following successful exhibitions in Los Angeles & New York, BEYOND THE STREETS LONDON will feature new works, large-scale installations, original ephemera and extraordinary fashion that capture the powerful impact of graffiti & street art across the world.
Curated by graffiti historian Roger Gastman, BEYOND THE STREETS LONDON will examine the fundamental human need for public self-expression, highlighting artists with roots in graffiti and street art whose work has evolved into highly disciplined studio practices, alongside important cultural figures inspired by this art scene.
Each of the exhibition’s chapters will explore exceptional moments in the history of this artistic movement; including the emergence of punk; the birth of hip-hop – marking its 50th anniversary in 2023; and street culture’s strong influence in fashion and film.
Featured Artists
10FOOT, AIKO, Alicia McCarthy, André Saraiva, BÄST, Beastie Boys, Beezer, Bert Krak, BLADE, BLONDIE, Bob Gruen, Brassaï, Broken Fingaz, C. R. Stecyk III, CES, Charlie Ahearn, Chaz Bojórquez, Chris FREEDOM Pape, Christopher Stead, Conor Harrington, CORNBREAD, Craig Costello, CRASH, DABSMYLA, Dash Snow, DAZE, DELTA, DONDI, Duncan Weston, Dr. REVOLT, Eric HAZE, Escif, Estevan Oriol, Fab 5 Freddy, FAILE, Felipe Pantone, FUME, FUTURA2000, Glen E. Friedman, GOLDIE, Gordon Matta-Clark, Gregory Rick, Guerrilla Girls, Gus Coral, Henry Chalfant, HuskMitNavn, IMON BOY, Jaimie D’Cruz, Jamie Reid, Janette Beckman, Jason REVOK, Jenny Holzer, Joe Conzo, John Ahearn & Rigoberto Torres, José Parlá, KATSU, KAWS, KC ORTIZ, Keith Haring, Kenny Scharf, KING MOB, LADY PINK, Lawrence Watson, Lisa Kahane, Malcolm McLaren, Maripol, Martin Jones, Martha Cooper, Maya Hayuk, Michael Holman, Michael Lawrence, Mister CARTOON, MODE 2, Ozzie Juarez, Pablo Allison, Pat Phillips, Paul Insect, POSE, PRIDE, PRIEST, Richard Colman, RISK, Robert 3D Del Naja, Roger Perry, Shepard Fairey, SHOE, Sophie Bramly, STASH, Stephen ESPO Powers, Stickymonger, SWOON, TAKI 183, Toby Mott, TOX, Tim Conlon, Timothy Curtis, Tish Murtha, Todd James, VHILS , ZEPHYR and more to be announced.
Headline Supporter: adidas Originals
Additional support provided by: Los Angeles Tourism and onefinestay
Experience Beyond the Streets London after dark alongside an incredible evening of entertainment, including: Free Graffiti & Stencil Workshops I Live Performance Drawing Sessions I DJ sets I Special drinks offers.
FRIDAY 5 MAY
Coronation Workshop – ‘Crown Your Hero’
In partnership with WOM collective and Saatchi Gallery Learning
Life Drawing Workshop
Presented by Saatchi Gallery Learning
DJ Set by Euphonica
SAATCHI GALLERY ANNOUNCES INAUGURAL PARTICIPATION IN SINGAPORE ART WEEK 2023, WITH INTERNATIONALLY ACCLAIMED BRITISH ARTIST PHILIP COLBERT
Saatchi Gallery will be the first and only UK gallery to participate in SAW 2023 along the iconic Marina Bay Sands waterfront, marking Philip Colbert’s first-ever exhibition in Singapore
From 6 – 15 January, Saatchi Gallery will present a first-of-its-kind pop-up installation at the 11th edition of Singapore Arts Week 2023 with internationally recognised British artist Philip Colbert. This must-see outdoor art installation will mark the first time Saatchi Gallery has participated in Singapore’s burgeoning art scene – the first and only UK gallery to do so. It also celebrates Philip Colbert’s first exhibition in Singapore, following widely successful exhibitions in neighbouring Asian countries.
The free-to-visit installation will include four sculpture commissions towering over 2 meters tall, and one over 3 metres. The stainless-steel painted sculptures will be on view along the iconic Marina Bay waterfront promenade as part of Singapore Art Week 2023.
Widely referred to as the ‘Godson of Andy Warhol’, Philip Colbert creates colourful cartoon-like sculptures as a representation of the artist’s own alter-ego. Colbert has created a global cult following for his cartoon lobster persona and his masterful hyper-pop history paintings. His work powerfully explores the patterns of contemporary digital culture and its relationship to a deeper art historical dialogue.
“This unique installation supports Saatchi Gallery’s charity mission to champion artist and render contemporary art accessible to all, bringing an incredible British artist like Philip, and his magnificent sculptures, into Singapore’s vibrant and exciting artistic landscape.” – Georgina Greenslade, Head of Communications & International Development at Saatchi Gallery.
“I’m very excited to be showing this series of sculptures in the iconic Marina Bay in Singapore, with the mix of water and the reflection of the cityscape there couldn’t be a better backdrop for the Lobster. Among the sculptures, there are a few works I’m showing for the first time. The Lobster Spam can & the Lobster painter. Singapore is a city I have been drawn to for a number of years and I am really happy to have collaborated with Saatchi gallery to bring this project to life. They have played an important part in my development as an artist and I’m excited to be collaborating with them again to realise this very ambitious sculptural project.” Philip Colbert, artist.
“As Principal Patron of The Saatchi Gallery we’re committed to making art, culture and creativity accessible to all. We’re therefore delighted and excited to see Philip Colbert’s sculptures here in Singapore, our key regional hub in Asia, and look forward to them being a key part of Singapore Art Week,” Richard Morewood Asia CEO, M&C Saatchi.
Singapore Art Week 2023 includes over 130 art events across the island and online, featuring new works and transnational collaborations including with Saatchi Gallery. In addition, virtual art experiences will enable audiences all over the world to access and discover the exciting art community in Singapore and beyond. The collaboration between Saatchi Gallery and Singapore Art Week supports Saatchi’s charitable mission to champion artists and render contemporary art accessible to all. Singapore’s signature visual arts season represents the unity and pride of a diverse and vibrant arts community. Its 11th edition will celebrate the practices of Singapore artists with an eclectic mix of online and physical visual arts programmes and experiences across the island.
Audiences all over the world can access and discover the exciting art in Singapore’s arts and cultural institutions and beyond, or engage in enriching discussions, talks, public art walks and tours. A catalyst of creativity, Singapore Art Week continues to be a spotlight, gathering and launchpad for the arts community in Singapore.
This free-to-enter exhibition celebrates the life and work of a relatively unknown artist, George Westren. The show represents a positive outcome to a emotive story that gained worldwide news attention in the summer of 2022.
In June 2022, George Westren became the unlikely subject of a viral news story reported by TV, radio and print media across the world. Westren, a relatively unknown artist living in a tiny housing association flat in Spitalfields, East London, had sadly died in July 2021 during the UK’s Covid lockdown. A year later, in June 2022, a neighbour stepped in to prevent George’s portfolio of intricate op art drawings from being destroyed by a home clearance firm. The artwork went viral on Twitter where Westren’s story – of humble beginnings, homelessness, addiction and eventual salvation through art – touched hundreds of thousands of people.
Funds raised through the sale of a small run of prints helped to preserve, catalogue and exhibit Westren’s artwork. The exhibition is curated by Alan Warburton, the neighbour who rescued the works. Saatchi Gallery are pleased to have the support of George Westren’s family in showcasing this selection of works that represent twenty years of dedicated endeavour.
As Westren himself said, making these intricate designs kept him ‘on the straight and narrow’ after many years struggling with addiction and homelessness. The artist designed and executed his work in a straightforward way: patiently plotted with compass point, ruler and pencil, then inked with felt tip pens on standard cartridge paper. Initially inspired by the work of Bridget Riley in 1999, Westren embarked on his own creative journey over the next 20 years, beginning with simple ‘tunnel’ designs, through which he ventured towards his own distinct motifs and techniques.
His pulsating stars, battling chevrons, interlocking spears and protruding 3D edges hover between subtle op art illusion and muscular, graphical clarity; all the more impressive that he worked alone, without formal art training, producing a steady sequence of work that so clearly demonstrates a precise understanding of contrast, depth and optical effects.
Westren’s love for art took him to art classes at outreach projects around London, where he forged new friendships, most importantly with fellow artist Bill Dennison and Jaime Bautista, director of SMart Network, both of whom – in Westren’s words – showed him that he might be ‘worthy of someone’s attention’.
This exhibition has been made possible due to the thousands of people around the world who saw the value of George’s work and were touched by his story, and especially those who bought prints that helped fund this project. Special thanks also go to the Westren family, SMart Network and the Ten Feet Away art group at Union Chapel, Islington, London.
ABOUT GEORGE WESTREN
Born in February 1947 to working-class parents in Ilfracombe, a seaside town in North Devon, George Westren always felt like an outsider. When he left school at 16, short lived careers in plumbing and the RAF presented challenges to his shyness and low self-esteem. Over the next 30 years, he sank into addiction and homelessness. Then, in 1999, a friend encouraged him to attend an exhibition of Bridget Riley’s work at the Serpentine Gallery in London, where he had a wake-up call. With a new motivation to overcome lifelong inhibitions and seek help for addiction, within a year Westren had secured a small housing association flat in East London. This respite from the dangers of rough sleeping allowed him to diligently create a portfolio of precise and sophisticated op art illustrations which he continued building for the rest of his life. Westren’s love for art took him to art classes at outreach projects around London, where he forged new friendships, most importantly with fellow artist Bill Dennison and Jaime Bautista, director of SMart Network, both of whom – in Westren’s words – showed him that he might be ‘worthy of someone’s attention’. Westren, like so many others during the COVID-19 pandemic, died at home, in Spitalfields, in June 2021.
ABOUT ALAN WARBURTON
Alan Warburton is an artist living and working in London. Alan was a downstairs neighbour to George Westren for many years. In June 2022, Alan interceded to rescue the artworks of George Westren following the clearance of Westren’s home. Alan has since worked with the family of George Westren to secure the future of the works for the family and to curate this presentation of a selection of the works to the public.
Saatchi Gallery collaborates with curators to select works direct from the studios of artists in order to present a range of diverse & experimental artworks to a larger audience.
Artists featured in Studio: Response [#3] are:
Karolina Albricht,
Ralph Anderson,
Olivia Bax,
Benjamin Cohen,
Mark Corfield-Moore,
Ian Dawson,
Olly Fathers,
Charlotte Kingsnorth
Jonathan Lloyd West,
Giulia Ricci,
Theresa Weber,
Imogen Wetherell
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