Archives: Exhibitions
About
The Thousand Year Kingdom is the first solo museum exhibition in London of work by artist, writer and curator Cedar Lewisohn.
The Thousand Year Kingdom features a series of large scale woodblock prints primarily made throughout 2013; a group of works that have not previously been shown together. These prints combine images relating to African and Mesopotamian objects from museum collections in the UK and Europe with recognisable details and depictions of contemporary life. The works are the antecedent to much of the visual language that Lewisohn’s current practice focuses on.
The brutal yet delicate method of production plays with the idea of “primitivism” and the connotations of labelling artworks as primitive. In these works, images are repeated, and new contexts and meanings are created with the addition or subtraction of colours or abstract landscapes. These repetitions play with the medium of printing, and the ways in which the viewer receives and processes visual information.
The exhibition includes a selection of prints from Lewisohn’s acclaimed comic book The Marduk Prophecy published in 2020. Produced from handmade woodcuts and Lino prints, the images portray objects found in the British Museum – whose Benin Bronzes were looted and whose ownership is contested – as well as other museums such as the Pitt Rivers Museum and the Petrie Museum. These depictions of objects from ancient civilisations are mixed with symbols of the contemporary world that refer to youth culture in the UK, such as Drill Music creating an abstract narrative that references social, ethical and political issues.
About the Artist
Cedar Lewisohn (b. London 1977) is an artist, writer and curator. He has worked on numerous projects for institutions such as Tate Britain, Tate Modern and The British Council. In 2008, he curated the landmark Street Art exhibition at Tate Modern and recently curated the Museum of London’s Dub London project. In 2020 he was appointed curator of Site Design for The Southbank Centre.
He is the author of three books (Street Art, Tate 2008, Abstract Graffiti, Merrell, 2011, The Marduk Prophecy, Slimvolume, 2020), and has edited a number of publications. His work has been exhibited nationally and internationally for over twenty years and belongs to a number of collections. In 2015 he was a resident artist at the Jan Van Eyke Academie in Maastricht.
Lewisohn has been included in numerous group exhibitions and had solo projects at the bonnefantenmuseum in Maastricht (2015), Joey Ramone, Rotterdam (2016), in VOLUME Book Fair at ArtSpace Sydney (2015) and Exeter Phoenix, (2017). Most recently he participated in the group exhibition UNTITLED: art on the conditions of our time at Kettles Yard, Cambridge where his work was named by The Guardian as “the highlight of the show”. Lewisohn lives and works in London.
About
On 4 November, in collaboration with HERVISIONS and 50 of the UK’s most exciting creators, Instagram will unveil a first of its kind digital celebration of British youth culture at London’s Saatchi Gallery. It will bring to life the cultural diversity and lived-experience of British Gen Z today, as expressed on Instagram Reels.
The motion art installation, called ‘Yours to Make: Fluid Imaginarium’, has been produced using gaming technology and is an experimental artwork reflecting the fluidity of British youth. The viewer is taken through various immersive dimensions that follow the different guises of youth self-expression.
The 50 creators including @elliejg16_zebedeemodel – the first model with Down’s Syndrome to work for a major fashion house, beauty creator @pradaolic, Drag Race UK star and drag artist @krystalversace, comedian @akafiali and author and broadcaster @Jamie_Windust worked with HERVISIONS to create the artwork by sharing how they explore their identity.
Zaiba Jabbar, founder of HERVISIONS, says:
“More than any generation before, British Generation Z have unlimited access to information. This has created a constant state of open-mindedness and change. They are fluid; in a state of creative self-evolution and always connected with the world.”
My work with Instagram celebrates this exciting approach to self-exploration, specifically the way in which Gen Z use the platform to create communities and explore who they can be. Myself and the HERVISIONS team have been inspired by the Instagram Reels that create the foundations of the artwork; the breadth of creativity and methods of which it’s expressed.”
About the Artist
Zaiba Jabbar is an award-winning director, commissioner, mentor, independent curator and moving image artist. She is the founder of HERVISIONS, an antidisciplinary agency and platform celebrating the intersection of art, technology and culture. HERVISIONS is an investigation into how people in the margins are using technology to create art outside of traditional formats, making space for themselves through the experience of expanded moving images. She is a leader in augmented reality and digital art, exhibiting both online and offline.
About
Key dates for 2021
Call for entries open: Thursday, 1 July 2021
Deadline for entries: Tuesday, 31 August 2021 (11:59pm)
Ten finalists announced: Monday, 4 October 2021
Prize-giving: Thursday, 4 November 2021
Exhibition dates: Friday 5 – Monday 7 November 2021
The Awards
This year, Robert Walters are proud to offer three prizes, for which each of our ten shortlisted artists will eligible.
First Prize: £10,000 cash prize; the first-prize award winner’s work will also be shown at the Robert Walters Group head office in London for a period of twelve months after the award is given.
Second Prize: £5,000 cash prize
People’s Choice Award: The winner of the People’s Choice Award will be decided by a public vote during the virtual exhibition, open from 5 November – 10 December and will be announced Monday, 13 December. The winner will have the opportunity to take part in one of UK New Artists’ international presentations.
Information
The Robert Walters Group and UK New Artists (UKNA), in collaboration with Saatchi Gallery, is proud to present the Robert Walters Group UK New Artist of the Year Award. The award helps to discover and champion the work of exceptional young artists whose work and vision represent contemporary Britain.
From an open call across the UK, we provide a platform for ten finalists whose work demonstrates a strong and original voice and is of exceptional artistic quality. In the process, we look for artists who represent the UK’s richly diverse population and embody the experiences of their respective communities — artists who create bold, unique pieces of art that reveal their own perspectives and experiences, and who represent original viewpoints that will start new conversations across the UK art scene. The selected shortlisted artists will be invited to the awards evening held on Thursday, 4 November at the Gallery where the winners of the award will be announced. The exhibition will be open to the public Friday 5 – Monday 8 November 2021.
“The past year has been difficult for a number of industries and even more so for our arts and culture sector – an industry that simply would not have the chance of survival were it not for both public and private funding. Providing a steppingstone for ambitious individuals is what the foundation of Robert Walters Group is built on. And now, more than ever, when so many people have had a rare opportunity to step into and act on their genuine passions – such as the arts – I feel proud that we are able to champion such inspiring work in the hope of launching careers from the next generation of exceptional artists.”, Robert Walters, CEO of Robert Walters Group
“The 2019 Awards discovered some of the most compelling new artists working today and I’m excited to see how a new generation has faced the extraordinary pressures and challenges of the last year and how this will inform their artistic practice as they look to the future.”, Michelle Bowen, Director of UK New Artists
Further details on such as theme, selection criteria, eligibility criteria, financial support for shortlisted artists can be found in the
About Robert Walters Group
Robert Walters Group is a global recruitment group committed to powering people and organisations to fulfil their unique potential. With vast experience in helping professionals grow their careers, Robert Walters Group is now aiming to help emerging UK artists express their unique voices and launch their artistic careers.
For more information, visit
About UK New Artists (UKNA)
UK New Artists (UKNA) is a registered national charity that champions the next generation of creativity, supporting collaboration and intercultural dialogue, ensuring a vibrant and diverse creative future for the UK. We develop artists’ practice through cross art form opportunities and celebrate creativity at national & international festivals.
Learn more at
Turkish Art Week (TAW) was created by Renko London, a British-based art gallery and events company, to give an international platform to Turkish contemporary artists, whose far-reaching influence should be recognised on an international level. TAW is holding TA London, its first exhibition, at Saatchi Gallery, a venue synonymous with innovation and championing artistic opportunity.
This inaugural exhibition brings together acclaimed Turkish contemporary artists from across the globe to showcase the breadth of their ground-breaking talent. TA London will represent 21 internationally acclaimed artists from mainland Turkey, Cyprus, Azerbaijan, London and other European communities. From pop art to lyric abstraction, the exhibit includes work from a variety of contemporary art movements, techniques and disciplines.
Headlining the exhibit is one of Turkey’s most established artists, Devrim Erbil. Known as the “Poet of Painting” and the recipient of the Presidential Culture and Arts Grants award, he is a pioneer for international contemporary art, while also paying homage to his Anatolian history.
In a series of firsts, Devrim will be auctioning his first ever NFT (non-Fungible Token) painting, a work called ‘London’, in real time during the exhibition. There are few established artists, especially distinguished art masters involved on NFT platforms and very few NFT auctions take place in conjunction with a physical exhibition. Bringing the gravitas, authenticity and innovative eye of a world-renowned art master to the virtual art market will forge important new pathways for this fledgling art scene.
Devrim believes it is vital to introduce Turkish art to international audiences and he created ‘London’ specially to celebrate this exhibition, turning his signature bird’s eye view, so famous in his landmark Istanbul series, on the London skyline. Visitors can view the original painting before it goes under the virtual hammer hosted by online auction platform, Nifty Gateway with curation supported by NFT Consultancy Fanchain.
It is also the first time that virtual artist Yam Karkai will exhibit in ‘real-life’ her NFT series, “Women by Yam – Females in the Spotlight”. Yam is passionate about bringing more diversity into this sector, an aim shared by TA London’s creators Renko London who hope the exhibition will bring together communities and inspire cross-cultural art conversations.
With this aim in mind, TA London invited two international guest artists from London’s diverse community to celebrate the capital’s dynamic multicultural scene and to foster links. Eva Sonaike’s tapestries are a blend of her Nigerian traditional heritage and contemporary European life, while London artist Joanna Gilbert reflects her links to different urban centres in her abstracts and installations.
Talking, exhibiting and exploring together brings new visions and experiences that will energise the arts and benefit everyone. That’s why the name is an expression of gratitude. So, it’s “mersi” from Turkey and “ta” from London.
Featured Artists
Bahri Genc, Baris Sarıbaş, Basak Cansu Guvenkaya, Cengiz Yatagan, Cigdem Erbil, Devrim Erbil, Ece Clarke, Emin Çizenel, Esra Meral, Eva Sonaike, Joanna Gilbert, Mehmet Günyeli, Mine Zabci, Nuri Battal, Renk Erbil, Rina Bakis, Sakit Mammadov, Sina Mirel, Sumer Erek, Yam Karkai, Yigit Yazici
About Renko London
Renko London was the first online Turkish art gallery in the UK. The company expanded its reach to include international artists and recently launched an arts consultancy and events service. Its mission is to bring a multicultural group of artists together in a harmonious, creative space demonstrating the impact art brings when it sits on the shoulders of a diverse community.
About Nifty Gateway
Nifty Gateway, an online digital art auction platform, is the premier marketplace where you can buy and manage non-fungible tokens (NFTs or Nifties), which are digital items you can truly own. Nifty Gateway was founded to make Nifties accessible to everyone. Partnered with NFT Consultancy Fanchain, the platform teams up with leading artists and brands to create collections of limited editions, high quality Nifties.
Presented by
Coinciding with the return of the RHS Botanical Art & Photography Show 2021 from September 18 through to October 3, 2021, Saatchi Gallery is participating in the RHS Chelsea Flower Show featuring new works by British contemporary artist Dan Rawlings.
The installation at the weeklong show features new artworks by the artist set out to spark a dialogue about our interaction with nature and our dependency on industry including: ‘Delays Expected’ (2021), a steel forest shell hand cut into the walls of a repurposed transit van.
Set at the heart of the RHS Chelsea Flower Show (stand number RHW281), the steel structures demonstrate Rawlings’ fascination with the resilience of nature with the ‘deserted’ vehicle swamped and almost overcome by the plants and foliage of the surrounding garden. Rawlings’ intricate hand cut process is created using a plasma cutter, a handheld torch that combines electricity and compressed air to cut through metal. Finer details are added with a variety of other specialised tools, guided by Rawlings’ preparatory painted sketches. The vehicle’s structure will be illuminated using hidden LED lights and will be lit deliberately at random – as if left wild, and free of human control. The garden will also be surrounded by reshaped traffic lights and roadworks signage resembling Rawlings’ steel cut foliage motif.
“We hear the phrases ‘net zero’ and ‘emissions targets’ daily, and it’s easy to tell ourselves that our problems are being dealt with, that we are on a smooth road out of environmental catastrophe. We can be diligent with our recycling, carbon offsets and reusable shopping bags, but these efforts are not enough, and the reality is that we are patching a potholed road. Traffic lights and roadworks interrupt the flower show, and weeds interrupt the roadworks. ‘Delays Expected’ is a utopian Atlantis – the spectre of a world that could be free.”
– British artist, Dan Rawlings
The installation will be on view at stand number RHW281, located on the major show thoroughfare Royal Hospital Way. Tickets are still available & can be purchased here:
Artworks: Dan Rawlings
Garden design: Dan Rawlings & Rae Wilkinson MSGD
Landscaping: Tecwyn Evans, Living Landscapes
RHS Chelsea Flower Show, 21 – 26 September 2021:
21 – 22 September: RHS members only, 8am-8pm
23 – 25 September: RHS members and non-members, 8am-8pm
26 September: RHS members and non-members, 8am-5.30pm
Tickets are still available & can be purchased here: www.rhs.org.uk
RHS Botanical Art & Photography Show 2021, Saturday 18 September – Sunday 3 October 2021:
Monday – Sunday, 10AM-6PM, Thursdays: 10AM-9PM
Tickets available on www.saatchigallery.com/rhstickets
ABOUT DAN RAWLINGS (b. 1979, London)
Dan Rawlings is a contemporary British artist born in Watford in 1979. He is known for his large-scale installations and intricate plasma-cut metal works. A sympathy for discarded objects and an admiration for nature’s resilience inspire him to create visions of a future where man’s impact is slowly reclaimed by nature. Notable recent projects include: ‘Future Returns’, a plasma-cut reclaimed oil tanker housed inside a 19thcentury church in Lincolnshire’s 20-21 Art centre, and ‘Short Haul’, an elaborately hand cut light aircraft shown at the Urban Nation Museum in Berlin during the 2019 Biennale. www.everyact.co.uk
ABOUT ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY (RHS)
The Royal Horticultural Society, the world’s leading gardening charity, was founded in 1804 by Sir Joseph Banks and John Wedgwood. Our vision is to enrich everyone’s life through plants and make the UK a greener and more beautiful place. This aspiration underpins all that we do, from inspirational gardens and shows, through our scientific research, to our education and community programmes such as Campaign for School Gardening and Britain in Bloom. We produce key publications, hold a world-class collection of horticultural books and botanical art, and sell the very best plants and gardening gifts.
The RHS is fundraising £40m to transform our gardens, outreach, and education facilities, which includes redeveloping our flagship RHS Garden Wisley and opening a new garden, RHS Garden Bridgewater, in 2021. We are solely funded by our members, visitors and supporters. For more information visit: www.rhs.org.uk
The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) and Saatchi Gallery have partnered to present the return of the RHS Botanical Art and Photography Show in 2021. Running parallel to the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in September, it will feature more than 200 of the best botanical artwork and garden photography by 34 global artists in celebration of these technical art forms.
The 2021 show includes an array of intricate and scientifically accurate botanical illustrations by 15 artists and portfolio collections from 19 photographers that will all compete for an RHS Medal – Gold, Silver Gilt, Silver or Bronze.
The RHS Botanical Art & Photography Show 2021 will be the first presented at the Gallery in London, and will run for two weeks, enabling artists and photographers to showcase their work to an even wider audience. Accompanying the show will be a series of outreach projects for school and community groups including painting, drawing and print workshops intended to inspire a passion for botanical art and research.
Admission to this ticketed show is free for Saatchi Gallery Members and RHS Members.
Download the Portfolio Photography Awards list (155kb pdf)
Download the Botanical Art Awards 2021 list (138kb pdf)
“Saatchi Gallery is thrilled to partner with the RHS to present this internationally recognised exhibition that celebrates contemporary art with an incredibly interesting scientific scope. We are impressed with the high standard of works presented for the 2021 edition and we are delighted to share this unique presentation with our visitors and members this Autumn.”
ra C. Uccello, Director of Partnerships at Saatchi Gallery
“We are excited to showcase some of the world’s best botanical art and photography at the Saatchi Gallery and for thousands of art lovers and avid gardeners to be given the opportunity to see their favourite plants in a new light.”
Charlotte Brooks, Art Curator at the RHS
The show compliments the RHS Lindley Collections of more than 30,000 botanical paintings stretching back to the 1630s and heritage photographic images of gardens and gardening people starting in the 1860s. The botanical art collection continues to grow with the regular addition of Gold medal standard pieces. Botanical art and photography help evidence trends and discoveries of plants popular in UK gardens today with piece available to view throughout the year by appointment with the RHS.
A panel of recognised experts, including leading botanical artists, photographers, teachers, and botanists, judge the exhibits on display, assessing their accuracy, skill, and aesthetic appeal.
The RHS Botanical Art 2021 judging panel secretary is Charlotte Brooks, Art Curator at RHS Lindley Library and the RHS Photographic Competition judging panel secretary Sian Tyrrell, Head of Horticultural Information.
For more information about the RHS Botanical Art & Photography Show visit:
#RHSSaatchiGallery
About Royal Horticultural Society (RHS)
The Royal Horticultural Society, the world’s leading gardening charity, was founded in 1804 by Sir Joseph Banks and John Wedgwood. Our vision is to enrich everyone’s life through plants and make the UK a greener and more beautiful place. This aspiration underpins all that we do, from inspirational gardens and shows, through our scientific research, to our education and community programmes such as Campaign for School Gardening and Britain in Bloom. We produce key publications, hold a world-class collection of horticultural books and botanical art, and sell the very best plants and gardening gifts.
The RHS is fundraising £40m to transform our gardens, outreach, and education facilities, which includes redeveloping our flagship RHS Garden Wisley and opening a new garden, RHS Garden Bridgewater, in 2021. We are solely funded by our members, visitors and supporters. For more information visit:
About Riverstone
Riverstone has launched its first two prime London developments for over 65s in the vibrant enclaves of Kensington and riverside views at Fulham. Designed with a choice of lifestyle options and community in mind, quality of life and well-being sits at the heart of the Riverstone experience. To learn more about Riverstone Kensington: visit
Riverstone, delivering exceptional London living for people over 65, is proud to support the 2021 RHS Botanical Art & Photography Show in partnership with Saatchi Gallery.
About Glenmorangie
Glenmorangie’s whisky makers use endless imagination and five key ingredients – wood, water, barley, yeast and time – to dream up delicious single malt whiskies. They’ve been honing their craft for more than 175 years. They create a delicate and fruity spirit in stills as tall as an adult giraffe to allow for more taste and aroma. Led by Director of Whisky Creation Dr Bill Lumsden, this crackerjack crew are on a mission to bring new flavours and possibilities to the world of single malt.
Glenmorangie celebrates the joy of delicious single malt in every part of its universe, from Glenmorangie House to its colourful new brand campaign, shot by famed photographer Miles Aldridge. With its tagline “It’s kind of delicious and wonderful”, Glenmorangie invites whisky lovers old and new to see themselves in Glenmorangie’s world.
Glenmorangie is proud to support the 2021 RHS Botanical Art & Photography Show in partnership with Saatchi Gallery.
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 [#1]
Sara Dare
Tim Ellis
Jo Hummel
Anna Liber Lewis
Anisa Zahedi
Sara Dare is an abstract painter and artist facilitator. She lives in West Sussex and works and exhibits nationally. Her paintings seek to convey an initial playful interaction with the viewer followed by a sense of unease or tension.
Tim Ellis is a painter and sculptor, living & working in London. He studied at the Royal Academy Schools from 2006 to 2009. He has had solo exhibitions in the UK and Internationally, as well as featuring in group shows in museums, commercial galleries and public institutions.
Jo Hummel lives and works on the Isle of Wight. She graduated from Royal College of Art and is represented internationally. Her works are included in both public and private collections worldwide.
Anna Liber Lewis lives and works in London. She won both the Griffin Art Prize and the Ingram Collection: Contemporary Talent Art Prize in 2017. Her work is held in many private collections both in the UK and Europe
Anisa Zahedi is an artist and illustrator, she lives and works in London. A graduate of the UAL, her work is based around construction, geometry and the generation of complex forms.