• Hiba Baddou has been announced as the overall winner of the Art for Change Prize 2024, selected from a global pool of emerging talent.
• The prize recognises six emerging artists worldwide exploring the theme ‘Tomorrow’ing: Visions of a Better Future’ through their art.
• The overall winner will receive £10,000, runners-up £2,000 each, and all works will feature in a winners’ exhibition at London’s Saatchi Gallery from 29 November 2024 to 12 January 2025.
• The Art for Change Prize was launched in 2022 in response to worldwide cuts to arts funding. It is the result of a shared commitment to support the power of creativity and is dedicated to promoting the next generation of artists exploring some of today’s most pressing issues.

M&C Saatchi Group, the global creative solutions company, and London’s renowned Saatchi Gallery have announced Hiba Baddou as the overall winner of their international Art for Change Prize. This initiative invited emerging artists worldwide to creatively respond to the theme ‘Tomorrow’ing: Visions of a Better Future’, with a grand prize of £10,000 awarded to the top entry.

Hiba was announced as the overall winner of the Art for Change Prize by Justine Simons OBE, London’s Deputy Mayor for Culture and the Creative Industries and Chair of Judges, at the exhibition unveiling at Saatchi Gallery. The Grand Jury, which included Justine along with leaders from M&C Saatchi Group and Saatchi Gallery, selected Hiba from a shortlist of six regional winners. Hiba, who was also the regional winner for Middle East and Africa, will receive a £10,000 cash prize. Her artwork will be featured in a special exhibition at Saatchi Gallery from 29 November 2024 to 12 January 2025, alongside the five other shortlisted regional winners, who will each receive a £2,000 cash prize.

Hiba is a Moroccan filmmaker, artist, and art director who creates work inspired by her homeland, exploring themes of identity, ritual, and language. Her winning short-film, Paraboles, is a multidisciplinary project that addresses themes of immigration and belonging by exploring ideas of exile and rootedness. It follows a family captivated by foreign images, whose desire for a new life abroad ultimately draws them back to their origins. The film highlights the complex nature of identity and roots its story in both the social and spiritual dimensions of belonging.

2024 Art for Change Prize Shortlisted Regional Winners:
• Americas: Paola Boyance (Mexico)
• Asia: Wincy Kung (Hong Kong)
• Australia & New Zealand: Jo Mellor (Australia)
• Europe: Ana Monsó (Spain)
• UK: Lulu Harrison (UK)

This year’s prize saw a 56% increase in entries, resulting in 4,667 submissions from 140 countries, and over 53% coming from developing nations across Latin America, Africa, Asia, and Oceania. The regional winners, representing Mexico, Hong Kong, Australia, Spain, Morocco, and the UK, were selected for presenting works that explore critical issues such as humanity’s relationship with the Earth, the impact of industry on sustainability, and the hopes and fears for future generations.

The artworks span a variety of media including painting, photography, video, and mixed-media installations. Through their art, the artists highlight urgent global issues, offering creative solutions and raising awareness about the challenges of our times.

The regional winners were selected by a distinguished panel of business and creative leaders from M&C Saatchi Group, along with esteemed guest judges from the arts and creative sectors.

Richard Thompson, Global Chair, Talent, Sport & Entertainment, PR and Global Head of Corporate Development, M&C Saatchi Group, comments: “As a global creative solutions company, M&C Saatchi Group is committed to identifying and supporting the next generation of creatives, particularly as they face rising barriers to entry in the creative industries. This year’s winning works remind us of the profound role contemporary art plays in reflecting and shaping how we live today. A huge congratulations to this year’s overall winner, Hiba Baddou, whose work embodies the transformative power of creativity and stands as a beacon of inspiration for us all.”

Justine Simons OBE, Deputy Mayor for Culture and the Creative Industries and Art for Change Prize Chair of Judges, said: “Hiba Baddou is a worthy winner of this year’s Art for Change Prize. Hiba’s powerful film, Paraboles, is both epic and intimate. A visually stunning journey from the humble couscous pot to a vast celestial desert landscape. A family’s longing to explore other worlds while honouring local roots and cultures. As Chair of Judges this year, it was a privilege to see so many outstanding and moving projects from around the world, raising awareness of the global challenges we are facing together.”

Paul Foster, Saatchi Gallery Director, adds: “The winning work by Hiba Baddou is a consummate piece of filmmaking exploring big ideas in an enthralling and innovative way. Hiba has produced a high-quality film that blends sci-fi aesthetics with social commentary. It is a disarmingly impactful work that encourages the viewer to reflect on what is important in life and to embrace a positive future.”

The overall winner and shortlisted regional winners’ work will be exhibited at the Saatchi Gallery from 29 November 2024 until 12 January 2025.

For all press enquiries please contact Sophie Hurley, [email protected]

For more information on all the winners’ and their submissions visit https://mcsaatchi.com/artforchangeprize

– ENDS –

NOTES TO EDITORS

Grand Jury Judges include:

Justine Simons, London’s Deputy Mayor for Culture and the Creative Industries, Founder and Chair of the World Cities Cultural Forum and Chair of Judges, Paul Foster, Director at Saatchi Gallery, Jo Bacon, UK Group CEO at M&C Saatchi UK, Rob Doubal, Global Joint Chief Creative Officer at M&C Saatchi Group, Laurence (Lolly) Thomson, Global Joint Chief Creative Officer at M&C Saatchi Group

Regional Judges include:

UK:
Guy Bradbury, Creative Partner at M&C Saatchi UK, Sophie Newman, Senior Creative at M&C Saatchi Talk, Kurt Beers, Founder & Director of BEERS London

Americas:
Nicholas Rotondi, Executive Creative Director at M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment North America, Benita Antony, Associate Creative Director at SS+K, part of M&C Saatchi, Grant Cornett, Director & Photographer

Asia:
Shakeel Hasan, Chief Creative Officer at M&C Saatchi World Services Pakistan, Henry Yap, Executive Creative Director at M&C Saatchi Malaysia, Raania Durrani, Creative Director (Culture, Arts and Music)

Australia & New Zealand:
Steve Coll, Chief Creative Officer at M&C Saatchi Group AUNZ, Vanessa Graham, Head of Strategy at M&C Saatchi Group AUNZ, Sumita Maharaj, Creative Director at Re, part of M&C Saatchi Group, Stephen Ormandy, Artist

Europe:
Andrei Kaigorodov, Creative Strategist at M&C Saatchi Milan, Javier Suarez, Executive Creative Director at M&C Saatchi Berlin, Louise te Poele, Artist & Curator

Middle East & Africa:
Ryan Reed, Chief Creative Officer at M&C Saatchi UAE, Robert Grace, Founding Partner and Chief Strategy Officer at M&C Saatchi Group South Africa, Ayman Zedani, Visual Artist, Curator & Filmmaker

What is Tomorrow’ing?

M&C Saatchi has always helped our clients see around corners – to anticipate what’s next, help them navigate the future. Tomorrow’ing is a lens through which we view our work, what we do, and the impact we can have. It’s our commitment to being future-facing, always striving to understand emerging technologies and ideas, providing our clients with a glimpse into what lies ahead. So that together, we can create a better tomorrow.

About M&C Saatchi Group:
M&C Saatchi Group is a global creative solutions company that connects specialist expertise, fuelled by data and technology, to help build famous brands, tackle the most complex business and societal challenges, and create and curate cultural power for its clients.

The group operates across five core specialisms: Advertising, Consulting, Issues (Global and Social), Passions & PR, and Media. Headquartered in London, operations span 23 countries with major hubs in the UK, U.S., Europe, APAC, Middle East and South Africa.

www.mcsaatchi.com

About Saatchi Gallery

Since 1985, Saatchi Gallery has provided an innovative platform for contemporary art. Exhibitions have presented works by largely unseen young artists, or by international artists whose work has been rarely or never exhibited in the UK. This approach has made the Gallery one of the most recognised names in contemporary art. Since moving to its current 70,000 square feet space in the Duke of York’s Headquarters in Chelsea, London, the Gallery has welcomed over 10 million visitors. The Gallery hosts thousands of school visits annually and has over 6 million followers on social media. In 2019 Saatchi Gallery became a registered charity, beginning a new chapter in its history.

Registered Charity Number: 1182328
Saatchi Gallery, Duke of York’s HQ, King’s Rd, Chelsea, London SW3 4RY

www.saatchigallery.com

 

Old Masters Meet AI in Colbert’s new battle scene exhibition

Saatchi Gallery presents The Battle for Lobsteropolis, a new exhibition by celebrated contemporary artist Philip Colbert. Known for his hyperpop history paintings, Colbert continues his signature battle scene series, where the lobster battles artificial intelligence in the retro-future world Lobsteropolis.
In this solo show, Colbert’s iconic lobster travels through time and clashes with AI in reimagined historical battle scenes. The exhibition centres on two monumental AI-assisted paintings in which Colbert’s lobster faces off with the tech world. With these works, Colbert channels the grandeur of ancient battle motifs and Renaissance compositions, where heroic struggle and artistic legacy converge in a retro-futuristic, apocalyptic landscape. Colbert’s world is one where art history and digital innovation are constantly in flux, reflecting the ever-evolving tension between history and technological advancement.

Highlighting this epic theme, After Battle of Issus Mosaic reinterprets the famed “Alexander the Great” mosaic—a 2,000-year-old masterpiece rediscovered in Pompeii, and now housed at Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli, where Colbert exhibited earlier this year. The artist adapts the composition, transplanting it into his dystopian Lobsteropolis, a place of both nostalgia and foreboding. The battle between Colbert’s lobster and an advancing force of AI avatars compels viewers to reimagine the timeless impact of the history of art as it encounters the digital revolution head-on.

The exhibition also features a series of sculptures that bring the drama of the battle scene to life, drawing on classical mythological figures such as the Centaur, Minotaur, and Medusa. By reinterpreting these legendary figures in his signature style, Colbert underscores the timeless appeal of mythology and its resonance in our own era.

“I’ve been continually drawn to the theme of Old Master battle scenes,” says Colbert. “These paintings capture such a heightened, pivotal moment where the outcome defines history—whether the battle is won or lost. I use this powerful visual framework to stage my own ‘pop battle’ of aesthetics, a reflection of my place in a hyper-saturated world, where I’m constantly battling for meaning in a ‘hyper-pop soup.’”

“My lobster persona gives me the freedom to explore the multi-layered dimensions of time, from the artistic blueprints of antiquity to the sci-fi visions of the future. My paintings are windows into a realm beyond time itself. The lobster has long symbolized time and mortality—alive, yet fixed in a state that transcends life and death. It’s a fitting symbol to travel beyond time.”

Saatchi Gallery invites you to step into Philip Colbert’s lobster world in The Battle for Lobsteropolis, where past and future collide in a tribute to the endurance of art amidst the technological evolution of our times.

– ENDS –

Exhibition Dates: 29 November 2024 – 13 January 2025

Location: The exhibition will take place on the Ground Floor in Gallery 4, and admission to the public is free.

About Philip Colbert

“I became an artist when I became a Lobster,” – Philip Colbert

Born in Scotland and living and working in London, Colbert is often referred to as the “godson of Andy Warhol”. He has created a global 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.

After graduating with an MA in Philosophy from St. Andrews University, Colbert’s work has received international acclaim in museums and galleries worldwide for his energetic new approach to painting and pop theory. Following on from early Pop painters such as Richard Hamilton, Roy Lichtenstein and James Rosenquist, Colbert’s paintings cross high art themes from old master paintings and contemporary art theory with everyday symbols of mass contemporary culture, all narrated through the eyes of Colbert’s cartoon Lobster alter ego. He has been championed as a contemporary pop master by art world figures such as Charles Saatchi & Simon de Pury.
www.philipcolbert.com
instagram.com/philipcolbert

About Saatchi Gallery

Since 1985, Saatchi Gallery has provided an innovative platform for contemporary art. Exhibitions have presented works by largely unseen young artists, or by international artists whose work has been rarely or never exhibited in the UK. This approach has made the Gallery one of the most recognised names in contemporary art. Since moving to its current 70,000 square feet space in the Duke of York’s Headquarters in Chelsea, London, the Gallery has welcomed over 10 million visitors. The Gallery hosts thousands of school visits annually and has over 6 million followers on social media. In 2019 Saatchi Gallery became a registered charity, beginning a new chapter in its history.

www.saatchigallery.com
instagram.com/saatchi_gallery

Registered Charity Number: 1182328 | Duke of York’s HQ, King’s Rd, Chelsea, SW3 4RY

Six Global Artists Envision a Better Future in M&C Saatchi Group and Saatchi Gallery’s Art for Change Prize

• M&C Saatchi Group and Saatchi Gallery announce the six regional winners of their annual Art for Change Prize from a total of 4,667 entries from 140 countries.
• The 2024 theme, ‘Tomorrow’ing: Visions of a better future’, invited emerging artists to tackle some of the world’s most pressing issues and act as a beacon of hope in the pursuit of a better tomorrow.
• The Art for Change Prize was launched in 2022 in response to worldwide cuts to arts funding. It is the result of a shared commitment to support the power of creativity and is dedicated to promoting the next generation of artists exploring some of today’s most pressing issues.
• The total prize fund of £20,000 will be split between the six regional winners, whose work will be presented in a winners’ exhibition at London’s Saatchi Gallery.

M&C Saatchi Group, the global creative solutions company, and London’s renowned Saatchi Gallery have revealed the six global winners of their Art for Change Prize, an international art initiative that attracted a record-breaking number of entries this year.

The 2024 Art for Change Prize challenged emerging artists worldwide to tackle some of the world’s most pressing issues through the theme ‘Tomorrow’ing: Visions of a Better Future.’ With a grand prize of £10,000, the competition offers a platform for artists to envision solutions for a brighter tomorrow and showcase their work at Saatchi Gallery.

This year saw a 56% increase in entries, with 4,667 submissions from 140 countries, and over 53% coming from developing nations across Latin America, Africa, Asia, and Oceania. The six selected winners, representing Mexico, Hong Kong, Australia, Spain, Morocco, and the UK, will present works that explore critical issues such as humanity’s relationship with the Earth, the impact of industry on sustainability, and the hopes and fears for future generations.

The winning artworks span a variety of media including painting, photography, video, and mixed-media installations. Through their art, the winners highlight urgent global issues, offering creative solutions and raising awareness about the challenges of our times.

2024 Art for Change Prize Regional Winners:

• Americas: Paola Boyance (Mexico)
• Asia: Wincy Kung (Hong Kong)
• Australia & New Zealand: Jo Mellor (Australia)
• Europe: Ana Monsó (Spain)
• Middle East & Africa: Hiba Baddou (Morocco)
• UK: Lulu Harrison (UK)

Each winner will receive £2,000, and one overall winner—set to be announced at the exhibition launch on 28 November—will take home an additional £8,000.

The winners were selected by a distinguished panel of business and creative leaders from M&C Saatchi Group, along with esteemed guest judges from the arts and creative sectors.

The winners’ work will be exhibited at the Saatchi Gallery from 29 November 2024.

Richard Thompson, Global Chair, Talent, Sport & Entertainment, PR and Global Head of Corporate Development, M&C Saatchi Group comments: “We’re excited to see the Art for Change Prize enter its third year, with a remarkable 56% growth in global submissions. As a global creative solutions company, we believe in the power of supporting emerging talent, particularly as they face rising barriers to entry in the creative industry. This year’s theme encourages the next generation of artists to be a force for positive change, offering hope for a better tomorrow—something M&C Saatchi is deeply committed to.”

Paul Foster, Saatchi Gallery Director, adds: “Congratulations to the regional winners. They’ve shown us again, how artists can rise to the challenge of addressing contemporary events and issues in a creative way. We’re looking forward to an exhibition of diverse winning works later this year that should prove inspirational for all visitors.”

Kurt Beers, Founder & Director, BEERS London and UK Judge comments: “I was honoured to be a part of this year’s Art for Change Prize jury. The submissions were of an extremely high calibre and showed great diversity across a broad cross-section of the arts. My sincere congratulations to the winners of this esteemed prize; it promises to be another exciting show.”

For all press enquiries please contact Sophie Hurley, [email protected]                                             

For more information on the winners’ and their submissions visit https://mcsaatchi.com/artforchangeprize

– ENDS –

NOTES TO EDITORS

Judges include:

UK:  

Guy Bradbury, Creative Partner at M&C Saatchi UK, Sophie Newman, Senior Creative at M&C Saatchi Talk, Kurt Beers, Founder & Director of BEERS London.

Americas:

Nicholos Rotondi, Executive Creative Director at M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment North America, Benita Antony, Associate Creative Director at SS+K, part of M&C Saatchi, Grant Cornett, Director & Photographer

Asia:

Shakeel Hasan, Chief Creative Officer at M&C Saatchi World Services Pakistan, Henry Yap, Executive Creative Director at M&C Saatchi Malaysia, Raania Durrani, Creative Director (Culture, Arts and Music)

Australia & New Zealand:

Steve Coll, Chief Creative Officer at M&C Saatchi AUNZ, Vanessa Graham, Head of Strategy at M&C Saatchi AUNZ, Sumita Maharaj, Creative Director at Re, part of M&C Saatchi Group, Stephen Ormandy, Artist

Europe:

Andrei Kaigorodov, Creative Strategist at M&C Saatchi Milan, Javier Suarez, Executive Creative Director at M&C Saatchi Berlin, Louise te Poele, Artist & Curator

Middle East & Africa:

Ryan Reed, Chief Creative Officer at M&C Saatchi UAE, Robert Grace, Founding Partner and Chief Strategy Officer for M&C Saatchi Group South Africa, Ayman Zedani, Visual Artist, Curator & Filmmaker

One overall winner will be selected by a grand jury, jury members to be announced.

What is Tomorrow’ing?

M&C Saatchi has always helped our clients see around corners – to anticipate what’s next, help them navigate the future. Tomorrow’ing is a lens through which we view our work, what we do, and the impact we can have. It’s our commitment to being future-facing, always striving to understand emerging technologies and ideas, providing our clients with a glimpse into what lies ahead. So that together, we can create a better tomorrow.

About M&C Saatchi Group

M&C Saatchi Group is a creative solutions company that connects specialist expertise, fuelled by data and technology, to create beautifully simple solutions for an increasingly complex world. We do this with capabilities that stretch across the entire digital landscape and customer journey. The Group operates across five core specialisms: Advertising, Consulting, Issues, Passions & PR, and Media. Headquartered in London, our operations span 23 countries with major hubs in the UK, Europe, US, Middle East, Africa and APAC. 

M&C Saatchi was founded on the philosophy of Brutal Simplicity of Thought, which to this day guides every area of our business – from how we operate internally, to the creative work we produce for our clients.

www.mcsaatchi.com

About Saatchi Gallery

Since 1985, Saatchi Gallery has provided an innovative platform for contemporary art. Exhibitions have presented works by largely unseen young artists, or by international artists whose work has been rarely or never exhibited in the UK. This approach has made the Gallery one of the most recognised names in contemporary art. Since moving to its current 70,000 square feet space in the Duke of York’s Headquarters in Chelsea, London, the Gallery has welcomed over 10 million visitors. The Gallery hosts thousands of school visits annually and has over 6 million followers on social media. In 2019 Saatchi Gallery became a registered charity, beginning a new chapter in its history.

Registered Charity Number: 1182328

Saatchi Gallery, Duke of York’s HQ, King’s Rd, Chelsea, London SW3 4RY

SAATCHI GALLERY TO PRESENT ANEESA DAWOOJEE’S MARCH OF THE HUMMINGBIRDS, DOCUMENTING THE RICH HISTORIES AND CULTURES OF THE CARIBBEAN & MAURITIUS, AND CELEBRATING THE POWER OF COMMUNITY SPIRIT

Saatchi Gallery is delighted to present the work of award-winning portrait and social-documentary photographer Aneesa Dawoojee as part of its major programme of winter exhibitions. Open to the public from 5 November 2024 – 5 January 2025, March of the Hummingbirds is a compassionate and considered project that documents the rich histories and cultures of the Caribbean, along with Mauritius, whose histories are closely connected. This body of work stems from Dawoojee’s desire to show the power of community spirit and how cultures can crossover through shared values and acts of kindness. 

Dawoojee’s strong belief in multiculturalism comes from her Trinidadian and Mauritian parentage. Places where African, Indian, Syrian, Chinese and European people could all be together in one place without judgement. Her home in South London is a similar meeting point of migrant communities who are creating their own fusion of British culture, where everyone has a place.

This project is in memory of all the elders whose ordinary lives were not reflected in textbooks. Inspired by her mother’s story, and extensive time spent in the Caribbean, Dawoojee has been moved to explore the deeper links between the West Indies and the UK, through themes of inter-race relations, trade, indenture, faith, love and feminism.

While she believes that there is no migrant story that comes without some painful recollections, Dawoojee’s photographs emphasises the importance in telling these histories by those who lived them. By sharing each story, she hopes to reduce racial tensions and divisions within modern Britain and to display the power in community.

Dawoojee comments: “My hope is to one day have all this work go into every secondary school in the UK to compliment migrant history, as an alternative way of learning about one another, to encourage empathy, trust and understanding.”

The majority of works within March of the Hummingbirds were first exhibited at the Royal Photographic Society as part of Only Human: Aneesa Dawoojee and we thank the RPS for their partnership & support of this exhibition.

This exhibition is kindly supported by MPB.

Admission is granted with Saatchi Gallery’s combined Winter Exhibitions ticket, which permits entry to March of the Hummingbirds; As We Rise: Photography from the Black Atlantic; and Anastasia Samoylova: Adaptation for a price usually reserved for a single exhibition ticket. Saatchi Gallery Winter Lates will take place on 8 November, 6 December and 17 January, featuring drawing classes, workshops and creative activations.

— ENDS —

About Aneesa Dawoojee
Aneesa Dawoojee is a multi-award-winning portrait and social-documentary photographer from South London. Her images aim to break down stereotypes and celebrate the ordinary people and communities surrounding her. Dawoojee is an associate lecturer at Northampton University and is a fellow at the Royal Photographic Society. She is the recipient of the RPS Solo International Photography Exhibition 163 Award (2022), and has been featured in Forbes Woman Africa, BBC and the British Journal of Photography’s Portrait of Humanity for three consecutive years since 2021. Her approach to visual communication has culminated in the touring exhibition Only Human, most recently displayed at the Royal Albert Hall, London (2024).

Dawoojee was most recently awarded the ‘Power of Photography Award’ in 2023 by AP magazine for “an outstanding body of work that shines a light on important issues, challenging perceptions and changing the way we see the world” – AP Magazine.

About MPB
MPB is the largest global platform to buy, sell and trade used photo and video gear. We’ve served more than 625,000 visual storytellers and every year we recirculate more than 570,000 cameras, lenses and accessories. While visual storytelling is our main passion, circularity is at the centre of MPB. We promote sustainability, diversity and inclusion in everything we do.

About RPS
The Royal Photographic Society (RPS) is an educational charity with a commitment to bring photography to everyone and as such is a world-leading photographic community, made up of accomplished artists, dedicated academics, hobbyists, and seasoned professionals. Membership is open to everyone.

Founded in 1853, when photography was in its infancy, the objective of the RPS is to make the art and science of photography more widely available. The RPS aims to inspire people through its innovative exhibitions, its award-winning RPS Journal, and recognise photographers in its highly respected awards. The RPS helps photographers create images through its educational programmes, qualifications, and its public initiatives; and it seeks to connect photographers through its UK and international community groups.

About Saatchi Gallery
Since 1985, Saatchi Gallery has provided an innovative platform for contemporary art. Exhibitions have presented works by largely unseen young artists, or by international artists whose work has been rarely or never exhibited in the UK. This approach has made the Gallery one of the most recognised names in contemporary art. Since moving to its current 70,000 square feet space in the Duke of York’s Headquarters in Chelsea, London, the Gallery has welcomed over 10 million visitors. The Gallery hosts thousands of school visits annually and has over 6 million followers on social media. In 2019 Saatchi Gallery became a registered charity, beginning a new chapter in its history.

Registered Charity Number: 1182328 | Duke of York’s HQ, King’s Rd, Chelsea, London SW3 4RY

NOTES TO EDITORS

For all press enquiries, please contact +44 (0) 20 7811 3091, or:

Niamh Elain, Marketing & Press Executive, [email protected]

Amelia Okell, Head of Communications, [email protected]

Dates

Press preview: 4 November, 10AM–1PM.

Open to the public: 5 November 2024 – 5 January 2025, 10AM – 6PM

Saatchi Lates: Friday 8 November, Friday 6 December, Friday 17 January

Spaces
March of the Hummingbirds will occupy Gallery 10 on the First Floor.

Admission
This is a ticketed exhibition. A ticket will grant entry to March of the Hummingbirds, Anastasia Samoylova: Adaptation, and As We Rise. Tickets can be booked in advance online at https://www.saatchigallery.com/product/winter-exhibitions

Images
Press images can be obtained via our press page: www.saatchigallery.com/press. By using the images, you acknowledge and accept the terms and conditions found on our website. These images can only be reproduced to illustrate a review or criticism of a work or report as defined by section 30 (i) and (ii) of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

Social Media
Join the discussion about the exhibition online with #AneesaDawoojee:
Instagram: @saatchi_gallery TikTok, X: @saatchi_gallery Facebook: @saatchigalleryofficial

School visits & Community groups
With the generous support of all our patrons, for each major exhibition, there are opportunities for students and community groups to engage in creative projects and workshops. For more details, visit www.saatchigallery.com/learning or call +44 (0) 20 7811 3087.

SAATCHI GALLERY TO PRESENT NEW WORKS BY NIGERIAN TEXTILE ARTIST SAMUEL NNOROM IN MULTITUDE OR MINORITY

Saatchi Gallery, M&C Saatchi Group and Tiwani Contemporary are pleased to present a solo exhibition of works by emerging Nigerian artist Samuel Nnorom, inaugural winner of the M&C Saatchi Group Art for Change Prize in 2022. Featuring new works that have not yet been exhibited in the UK, MULTITUDE OR MINORITY will be open at Saatchi Gallery from 19 October to 24 November, 2024.

Nnorom’s sculptures are visual metaphors made from offcuts of Ankara fabric, the wax-printed cloth now synonymous with African textiles. Fabrics to him evoke a sense of social structure or organisation that interlaces humanity into society. However, when referring to the “fabric of society” or “social fabric,” it refers to the weft and warp interlace of values, traditions, behaviours, identities, religions, and heritage of the human society. This is unique to different societies, as he contemplates on universal identity, socio-political structures, consumerism, industrialisation, and colonial remnants. Nnorom’s use of the salvaged fabric forms a critical observation around artisanal provenance, and the impact of global trade on unified geographical identity

The forms within his work are inspired by bubbles: entities that emerge, momentarily capturing air until they burst and disappear. He is interested in the expansion and movement of bubble formations and how their characteristics might speak to moments of suspension, tension and adaptation. He works industriously to weave, roll, assemble, stich and sew together constellations of bubbles, bindles, and ribboned strips, reinterpreting the bubble as a tangible manifestation of collective survival, connection, and aspiration.

This exhibition is kindly supported by Tiwani Contemporary and M&C Saatchi Group.

— ENDS —

About Samuel Nnorom
Samuel Nnorom (b. 1990) is a multi-award-winning Nigerian artist whose work poetically crosses tapestry-like sculpture and pre-loved Ankara wax fabric. Currently living and working in Nsukka, Nnorom holds an MFA in sculpture from the University of Nigeria, UNN Nsuka. He has run numerous workshops and undertaken residencies in England, South Africa, Burkina Faso, Senegal and Nigeria. Recent solo exhibitions include Emotional Catch, Tiwani Contemporary (Lagos, Nigeria) 2023; Truth and Conspiracy, Primo Marella Gallery (Milan, Italy) 2023; Points of Departure, Galerie Art Mûr 5826 (Canada) 2023; Politics of Clothes, The Mitochondria Gallery (Houston TX, USA) 2023; Politics of Fabrics, The Guest Artist Space G.A.S., Yinka Shonibare Foundation (Lagos, Nigeria) 2023. Nnorom is the global prize winner of the Art for Change Prize 2022, organised by M&C Saatchi Group and Saatchi Gallery.

About Tiwani Contemporary
Founded in London in 2011 by Maria Varnava, Tiwani Contemporary’s primary mission is to represent artists from Africa and its global diaspora. Varnava, who grew up in Lagos, established Tiwani Contemporary with the encouragement of her friend and mentor, renowned Nigerian international curator, Bisi Silva (1962- 2019). Silva proposed the name Tiwani, which loosely translates as “ours” or “it belongs to us” from the Yoruba language. Tiwani Contemporary is a global leader in the representation of visual arts practice from contemporary Africa and its diaspora. In 2022 the gallery expanded to its second location in Lagos, Nigeria and in 2023 moved to its new permanent gallery space in Mayfair. www.tiwani.co.uk

About M&C Saatchi Group
M&C Saatchi Group is a creative solutions company that connects specialist expertise, fuelled by data and technology, to create beautifully simple solutions for an increasingly complex world. We do this with capabilities that stretch across the entire digital landscape and customer journey. The Group operates across five core specialisms: Advertising, Consulting, Issues, Passions & PR, and Media. Headquartered in London, our operations span 23 countries with major hubs in the UK, Europe, US, Middle East, Africa and APAC. M&C Saatchi was founded on the philosophy of Brutal Simplicity of Thought, which to this day guides every area of our business – from how we operate internally, to the creative work we produce for our clients. www.mcsaatchi.com

About Saatchi Gallery
Since 1985, Saatchi Gallery has provided an innovative platform for contemporary art. Exhibitions have presented works by largely unseen young artists, or by international artists whose work has been rarely or never exhibited in the UK. This approach has made the Gallery one of the most recognised names in contemporary art. Since moving to its current 70,000 square feet space in the Duke of York’s Headquarters in Chelsea, London, the Gallery has welcomed over 10 million visitors. The Gallery hosts thousands of school visits annually and has over 6 million followers on social media. In 2019 Saatchi Gallery became a registered charity, beginning a new chapter in its history.

 

NOTES TO EDITORS

For all press enquiries, please contact +44 (0) 20 7811 3091, or:
Niamh Elain, Marketing & Press Executive, [email protected]
Amelia Okell, Head of Communications, [email protected]

Dates
19th October – 24th November 2024.

Admission
Free Entry. Pre-booking is not required.

Spaces
Located on the ground floor in Gallery 3. 

Images
Press images are available by request at the contact details above. By using the images, you acknowledge and accept the terms and conditions found on our website. These images can only be reproduced to illustrate a review or criticism of a work or report as defined by section 30 (i) and (ii) of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

Social Media
Join the discussion about the exhibition online via Instagram, TikTok, X: @saatchi_gallery and Facebook: @saatchigalleryofficial  

SAATCHI GALLERY TO PRESENT AS WE RISE: PHOTOGRAPHY FROM THE BLACK ATLANTIC, A COMPELLING EXHIBITION OF WORKS BY BLACK ARTISTS FROM CANADA, UNITED STATES, GREAT BRITAIN, THE CARIBBEAN, AND THE AFRICAN CONTINENT

As We Rise: Photography from the Black Atlantic, a compelling exhibition of photographs from African Diasporic culture selected from the Wedge Collection, is to be presented at Saatchi Gallery this winter. Organised by Aperture and curated by Elliott Ramsey, the exhibition showcases work by Black artists from Canada, United States, Great Britain, The Caribbean, and the African Continent.

The exhibition celebrates works from the Wedge Collection, Canada’s largest privately-owned collection committed to championing Black artists, established by Dr Kenneth Montague in 1997. Explored through the concepts of community, identity, and power, viewers are invited to recognize the complexity – the strength, beauty, vulnerability, and diversity – of Black life. Works by established names such as Horace Ové, James Barnor and Carrie Mae Weems will be on display, as well as those of emerging talents such as Texas Isaiah and Arielle Bobb-Willis.

The title As We Rise is borrowed from a phrase that Dr Montague’s father would often invoke: “Lifting as we rise.” The adage suggests the importance of both individual and communal fortification; of empowering your community while striving for personal success. As We Rise: Photography from the Black Atlantic embraces this sensibility and is the reason why the many works featured in the exhibition are gathered into the thematic sections of Community, Identity, and Power. In their depiction of an expansive sense of the familial and the familiar, they share a common thread. Black subjects are depicted by Black photographers; their gaze is mutual and consensual. But the imagery is far from uniform. Instead, it is as varied, surprising, and idiosyncratic as a family album.

Select highlights from the exhibition include:

• Sunday Morning, Detroit, Michigan (1950) by Gordon Parks, an icon of civil rights-era photography
• Nuit de Noël (1963) by Malick Sidibé, one of the most important photographers of post-colonial Africa who was recognized with the Hasselblad Award the Golden Lion Award for Lifetime Achievement
• First Self-Portrait (1975) by Carrie Mae Weems, among the most significant photographers of our time and renowned for her self-portraiture
• After Sir Joshua Reynolds’ “Portrait of Doctor Samuel Johnson” (2009) by Kehinde Wiley, a Nigerian American artist known for Barack Obama’s official portrait in Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery
• My Name Is My Name I (2016) by Texas Isaiah, a rising star in contemporary photography, and the first trans photographer to shoot an edition cover for Vogue Magazine in 2020

As We Rise: Photography from the Black Atlantic is touring internationally. This exhibition at Saatchi Gallery is its UK debut.

Elliott Ramsey, Exhibition Curator: “From the 1930s’ Harlem Renaissance, through post-colonial Bamako, to contemporary Toronto, As We Rise celebrates the polyphony of Black life — and the nuanced approaches of Black photographers in representing these scenes of love, leisure, and resistance.”

Dr Kenneth Montague, of the Wedge Collection: “I’m honoured to be sharing photographic works from my collection with a UK audience. As We Rise at the Saatchi Gallery will be a celebration of global Black culture through time, with images that reflect legacies of community, identity and power.”

The artists featured in the exhibition are:
Raphael Albert, Henry Clay Anderson, Tayo Yannick Anton, Liz Johnson Artur, James Barnor, Dawoud Bey, Arielle Bobb-Willis, Deanna Bowen, Jody Brand, Kwame Brathwaite, Sandra Brewster, Elliott Jerome Brown Jr., Vanley Burke, Mohamed Camara, Kennedi Carter, Jorian Charlton, June Clark, Renee Cox, Erika DeFreitas, Jabulani Dhlamini, Stan Douglas, Louis Draper, Rotimi Fani-Kayode, Samuel Fosso, LaToya Ruby Frazier, Courtney D. Garvin, Jérôme Havre, Barkley L. Hendricks, Leslie Hewitt, Texas Isaiah, Ayana V. Jackson, Rashid Johnson, Aaron Jones, Anique Jordan, Seydou Keïta, Lebohang Kganye, Luther Konadu, Deana Lawson, Zun Lee, Oumar Ly, João Mendes, Jalani Morgan, Dennis Morris, Aïda Muluneh, Eustáquio Neves, Jamal Nxedlana, Lakin Ogunbanwo, J.D. ‘Okhai Ojeikere, Bidemi Oloyede, Horace Ové, Gordon Parks, Michèle Pearson Clarke, Dawit L. Petros, Charlie Phillips, Afonso Pimenta, Ruddy Roye, Athi-Patra Ruga, Abdourahmane Sakaly, Jamel Shabazz, Abdo Shanan, Malick Sidibé, Xaviera Simmons, Ming Smith, Paul Anthony Smith, Sanlé Sory, Eve Tagny, Hank Willis Thomas, Mickalene Thomas, James Van Der Zee, Nontsikelelo Veleko, Ruby Washington, Ricky Weaver, Carrie Mae Weems, Kehinde Wiley

As We Rise: Photography from the Black Atlantic – Selections from the Wedge Collection, is organized by Aperture and curated by Elliott Ramsey.

The accompanying book, As We Rise: Photography from the Black Atlantic (Aperture, 2021), a 184-page catalogue and As We Rise: Sounds from the Black Atlantic (Aperture, 2023), a limited-edition vinyl record, both published by Aperture, are available to purchase in the Gallery Shop and through Saatchi Store Online.

Open from 5 November, 2024 to 20 January, 2025, this is a ticketed exhibition. A ticket will grant entry to As We Rise: Photography from the Black Atlantic, Anastasia Samoylova: Adaptation and Aneesa Dawoojee: March of the Hummingbirds (closes 5 January) – for the price usually reserved for a single exhibition ticket. Saatchi Gallery Winter Lates will take place on 8 November, 6 December and 17 January, featuring drawing classes, workshops and creative activations.

— ENDS —

About Elliott Ramsey
Elliott Ramsey is Curator of The Polygon Gallery. He holds a Master of Arts in Comparative Media Arts (2015) from Simon Fraser University. Ramsey is an alumnus of the Association of Art Museum Curators’ Professional Alliance for Curators of Colour, and has sat on numerous panels, advisories, and art juries including the Sobey Award, VIVA Award, Portfolio Prize, and Capture Photography Festival, among various other committees.

About Dr Kenneth Montague, the Wedge Collection
The Wedge Collection was started in 1997 by Dr Kenneth Montague to acquire and exhibit art that explores Black life. In addition to the Wedge Collection, Montague founded Wedge Curatorial Projects, a non-profit arts organization that helps support emerging Black artists. A Toronto-based art collector, Montague has been a member of the Art Gallery of Ontario’s Board of Trustees since 2015 and has served on the African Acquisitions Committee at Tate Modern, London, as well as on the Photography Curatorial Committee of the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto. He is also a Trustee of Aperture, and a past member of the jury for the Scotiabank Photography Award, Canada’s largest photography prize. In 2016, Montague received an Honorary Doctorate from OCAD University, Toronto.

About Aperture
Aperture is a nonprofit publisher that leads conversations around photography worldwide. From our base in New York, Aperture connects global audiences and supports artists through our acclaimed quarterly magazine, books, exhibitions, digital platforms, public programs, limited-edition prints, and awards. Established in 1952 to advance “creative thinking, significantly expressed in words and photographs,” Aperture champions photography’s vital role in nurturing curiosity and encouraging a more just, tolerant society.
https://aperture.org/

About Saatchi Gallery
Since 1985, Saatchi Gallery has provided an innovative platform for contemporary art. Exhibitions have presented works by largely unseen young artists, or by international artists whose work has been rarely or never exhibited in the UK. This approach has made the Gallery one of the most recognised names in contemporary art. Since moving to its current 70,000 square feet space in the Duke of York’s Headquarters in Chelsea, London, the Gallery has welcomed over 10 million visitors. The Gallery hosts thousands of school visits annually and has over 6 million followers on social media. In 2019 Saatchi Gallery became a registered charity, beginning a new chapter in its history.

NOTES TO EDITORS
For all press enquiries, please contact +44 (0) 20 7811 3091, or:
Niamh Elain, Marketing & Press Executive, [email protected]
Amelia Okell, Head of Communications, [email protected]

Dates
Open to the public: 5 November 2024 – 20 January 2025, 10AM – 6PM
Saatchi Lates: Friday 8 November, Friday 6 December, Friday 17 January

Spaces
As We Rise will occupy the First Floor Galleries.

Admission
This is a ticketed exhibition. A ticket will grant entry to both As We Rise and Anastasia Samoylova: Adaptation – Saatchi Gallery’s two major Winter exhibitions which will simultaneously – for the price usually reserved for a single exhibition ticket. Saatchi Gallery Winter Lates will take place on 8 November, 6 December and 17 January, featuring workshops led by Saatchi Gallery Learning.

Walk-ins are welcome but pre-booking is advised. Tickets can be booked in advance online at https://www.saatchigallery.com/product/winter-exhibitions

Images
Download the press images on the link above. By using the images, you acknowledge and accept the terms and conditions found on our website. These images can only be reproduced to illustrate a review or criticism of a work or report as defined by section 30 (i) and (ii) of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

Social Media
Join the discussion about the exhibition online with #AsWeRise
Instagram: @saatchi_gallery TikTok, X: @saatchi_gallery Facebook: @saatchigalleryofficial

School visits & Community groups
With the generous support of all our patrons, for each major exhibition, there are opportunities for students and community groups to engage in creative projects and workshops. For more details, visit www.saatchigallery.com/learning or call +44 (0) 20 7811 3087.

SAATCHI GALLERY TO PRESENT THE FIRST MAJOR SURVEY OF CONTEMPORARY AMERICAN PHOTOGRAPHER ANASTASIA SAMOYLOVA

Saatchi Gallery & Foundation for the Exhibition of Photography are proud to present Anastasia Samoylova: Adaptation, the first major survey of contemporary American photographer Anastasia Samoylova. Curated by Taous Dahmani, this exhibition will present works from five of Samoylova’s most significant series: Floridas, FloodZone, Landscape Sublime, Image Cities, and Breakfasts.

A modern-day flâneuse with a camera in hand, Anastasia Samoylova observes the everyday to reveal its absurdities and challenge our societal constraints. Wandering through urban and ‘natural’ landscapes, Samoylova invites us to question and reflect on our surroundings. Intertwining aesthetics with socio-politics, her art is a dynamic response to our rapidly changing world, addressing themes such as capitalism, climate change, gentrification, and the gendered occupation of public space. Samoylova’s provocative vision challenges and enriches our understanding of these pressing issues. In her work, we find juxtapositions between the natural world’s fragility against the backdrop of capitalist irrationalities, unearthing long-term and every-day political dissonances.

Through her distinctive visual layering and inquisitive gaze, Anastasia Samoylova’s work explores how best to capture and provoke thought about social inequality. Meticulously crafted, her photographs invite viewers to decode and interpret. The more one engages with Samoylova’s work, the more its nuances unfold, making Adaptation not just an exhibition, but a journey into the complexities of our contemporary world.

The multiple meanings behind the word “adaptation” inspired the title of this exhibition of her work, which spans from the 2010s to today. Samoylova’s unique perspective as a first-generation immigrant to the United States fuels her exploration of cultural, environmental, and societal adaptation.

About the works on display
Floridas serves as a microcosm of the United States, unravelling the complex socio-political landscape of the eclectic, sun-soaked state. From pink flamingos to abandoned buildings and vibrant pink churches, Samoylova captures Florida’s layers, and the intricate mosaic it truly is.

FloodZone documents the southern states in the wake of hurricanes and other natural disasters, but Samoylova shifts her gaze away from the spectacle of climate change, focusing instead on its pervasive and omnipresent effects on daily life.

Created in the age of online visual culture, Landscape Sublime challenges the stereotypes surrounding landscape representation. Through her kaleidoscopic constructions—such as “Four Seasons” (2018), “Matterhorn” (2015), and “Glaciers” (2015), featured in the exhibition—Samoylova dismantles preconceived notions about nature.

Photographs of major urban capitals like New York City, London, and Brussels form the core of Image Cities, continuing Samoylova’s exploration of the pervasive influence of visual capitalism on urban landscapes.

Originally conceived as an homage to Samoylova’s favourite photobooks, Breakfasts evolved into a playful still life series and witty, tongue-in-cheek appropriations. Blending artistic inspiration with a sense of humour, the series is composed of carefully crafted visual tributes to the photographic canon.

Anastasia Samoylova: Adaptation was produced by the Foundation for the Exhibition of Photography, Minneapolis/ Paris/Lausanne in collaboration with the Saatchi Gallery, London.

The accompanying book published by Thames & Hudson, Adaptation (2024), is available for purchase in the Gallery Shop and through Saatchi Store Online.

Open from 5 November, 2024 to 20 January, 2025, this is a ticketed exhibition. A ticket will grant entry to Anastasia Samoylova: Adaptation, As We Rise: Photography from the Black Atlantic and Aneesa Dawoojee: March of the Hummingbirds (closes 5 January) – for the price usually reserved for a single exhibition ticket. Saatchi Gallery Winter Lates will take place on 8 November, 6 December and 17 January, featuring drawing classes, workshops and creative activations.

— ENDS —

About Anastasia Samoylova
Anastasia Samoylova is a Russian-born American artist who alternates between observational photography and studio practice. In 2024, her exhibition Floridas: Anastasia Samoylova and Walker Evans will be presented at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Recent exhibitions include C/O Berlin, Fundación MAPFRE, George Eastman Museum, Chrysler Museum of Art, and V&A Dundee. Samoylova’s work is in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; the Perez Art Museum, Miami; the High Museum of Art, Atlanta; and the Museum of Contemporary Photography, Chicago. Publications include FloodZone (Steidl, 2019), Floridas (Steidl, 2022), and Image Cities (Fundación Mapfre, 2023).

About Taous R. Dahmani
Taous R. Dahmani is a London-based French, British and Algerian art historian, writer and curator specializing in photography. Dr. Dahmani curated the 2022 Louis Roederer Discovery Award at Les Rencontres d’Arles in France, showcasing her keen eye for emerging talent. In October 2024, she will curate two themed group exhibitions at the Jaou Photo Biennale in Tunis, Tunisia. The following month, she will unveil a solo exhibition of SMITH at NOUA in Bodø, Norway. For FEP, she has curated Anastasia Samoylova: Adaptation at the Saatchi Gallery. Her writing is featured in photobooks published by Loose Joints, Textuel and Chose Commune, as well as in prestigious magazines like The British Journal of Photography, FOAM, GQ, Aperture, Camera Austria and 1000 Words Magazine. She has delivered talks at renowned institutions including Tate, the Getty Research Institute, the Barbican, Le Bal, and La MEP.

About The Foundation for the Exhibition of Photography
An independent non-profit organization, The Foundation for the Exhibition of Photography (FEP) produces unique and influential museum-quality photography exhibitions and circulates them around the world. The Foundation for the Exhibition of Photography (Minneapolis/ Paris/Lausanne) aims to enlighten, delight, and inspire people around the world through the presentation of photography exhibitions, publications, related online content, symposia, lectures, and other forms of educational events and materials. Founded in 2003, FEP is based in Minneapolis, a city with a vibrant tradition of support for the arts. The organization has achieved substantial results in its first two decades, with shows travelling to 35 countries on 4 continents, and with catalogues produced in many different languages.

About Saatchi Gallery
Since 1985, Saatchi Gallery has provided an innovative platform for contemporary art. Exhibitions have presented works by largely unseen young artists, or by international artists whose work has been rarely or never exhibited in the UK. This approach has made the Gallery one of the most recognised names in contemporary art. Since moving to its current 70,000 square feet space in the Duke of York’s Headquarters in Chelsea, London, the Gallery has welcomed over 10 million visitors. The Gallery hosts thousands of school visits annually and has over 6 million followers on social media. In 2019 Saatchi Gallery became a registered charity, beginning a new chapter in its history.

NOTES TO EDITORS
For all press enquiries, please contact +44 (0) 20 7811 3091, or:
Niamh Elain, Marketing & Press Executive, [email protected]
Amelia Okell, Head of Communications, [email protected]

Dates
Open to the public: 5 November 2024 – 20 January 2025, 10AM – 6PM
Saatchi Lates: Friday 8 November, Friday 6 December, Friday 17 January

Spaces
Adaptation will occupy the Second Floor Galleries.

Admission
This is a ticketed exhibition. A ticket will grant entry to both Anastasia Samoylova: Adaptation and As We Rise – Saatchi Gallery’s two major Winter exhibitions which will simultaneously – for the price usually reserved for a single exhibition ticket. Saatchi Gallery Winter Lates will take place on 8 November, 6 December and 17 January, featuring workshops led by Saatchi Gallery Learning.

Walk-ins are welcome but pre-booking is advised. Tickets can be booked in advance online at https://www.saatchigallery.com/product/winter-exhibitions

Images
Download the press images on the link above. By using the images, you acknowledge and accept the terms and conditions found on our website. These images can only be reproduced to illustrate a review or criticism of a work or report as defined by section 30 (i) and (ii) of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

Social Media
Join the discussion about the exhibition online with #AnastasiaSamoylova:
Instagram: @saatchi_gallery TikTok, X: @saatchi_gallery Facebook: @saatchigalleryofficial

School visits & Community groups
With the generous support of all our patrons, for each major exhibition, there are opportunities for students and community groups to engage in creative projects and workshops. For more details, visit www.saatchigallery.com/learning or call +44 (0) 20 7811 3087.

SAATCHI GALLERY ANNOUNCES ITS WINTER SEASON OF MAJOR EXHIBITIONS, ANASTASIA SAMOYLOVA: ADAPTATION and AS WE RISE: PHOTOGRAPHY FROM THE BLACK ATLANTIC.

Both shows will run simultaneously from 5 November 2024 to 20 January 2025. AS WE RISE: PHOTOGRAPHY FROM THE BLACK ATLANTIC will occupy the First Floor Galleries, while ANASTASIA SAMOYLOVA: ADAPTATION takes place in the Second Floor Galleries.

Admission to both exhibitions is ticketed. One ticket grants entry to see both As We Rise and Adaptation for a price usually reserved for a single exhibition ticket.

ANASTASIA SAMOYLOVA: ADAPTATION

Saatchi Gallery & Foundation for the Exhibition of Photography are proud to present ANASTASIA SAMOYLOVA: ADAPTATION, the first major survey of contemporary American photographer Anastasia Samoylova. Curated by Taous Dahmani, this exhibition will present works from five of Samoylova’s most significant series: ‘Landscape Sublime’, ‘Image Cities’, ‘FloodZone’, ‘Floridas’, and ‘Breakfasts’. The exhibition features compelling video work previously unseen in the UK.

In ADAPTATION, Samoylova directs her frank and curious gaze at evidence of the environment adapting to human intervention and, correspondingly, at our social and political resistance to respond to a rapidly changing planet. Her subjects – often pastel-hued, doused in refracting light and darkened by impenetrable shadow – speak to this push and pull. Viewers are lured to take a closer look; subtly challenged to consider the ways in which we are encroaching on the environment and alerted to the danger of denial.

The accompanying book, published by Thames & Hudson, will be available to purchase in the Gallery Shop and Saatchi Store online.

ANASTASIA SAMOYLOVA: ADAPTATION has been produced by the Foundation for the Exhibition of Photography, Minneapolis/Paris/Lausanne in collaboration with Saatchi Gallery, London.

About Anastasia Samoylova
Anastasia Samoylova is a Russian-born American artist who alternates between observational photography and studio practice. In 2024, her exhibition, ‘Floridas: Anastasia Samoylova and Walker Evans,’ will be presented at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Recent exhibitions include C/O Berlin, Fundación MAPFRE, George Eastman Museum, Chrysler Museum of Art, and V&A Dundee. Samoylova’s work is in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; the Perez Art Museum, Miami; the High Museum of Art, Atlanta; and the Museum of Contemporary Photography, Chicago. Publications include FloodZone (Steidl, 2019), Floridas (Steidl, 2022), and Image Cities (Fundación Mapfre, 2023). 

About Taous R. Dahmani
Dr Taous R. Dahmani is a London-based French, British and Algerian art historian, writer and curator specializing in photography. Dr Dahmani curated the 2022 Louis Roederer Discovery Award at Les Rencontres d’Arles in France, showcasing her keen eye for emerging talent. In October 2024, she will curate two themed group exhibitions at the Jaou Photo Biennale in Tunis, Tunisia. The following month, she will unveil a solo exhibition of SMITH at NOUA in Bodø, Norway. Her writing is featured in photobooks published by Loose Joints, Textuel and Chose Commune, as well as in prestigious magazines like The British Journal of Photography, FOAM, GQ, Aperture, Camera Austria and 1000 Words Magazine. She has delivered talks at renowned institutions including Tate, the Getty Research Institute, the Barbican, Le Bal, and La MEP.

About The Foundation for the Exhibition of Photography
An independent non-profit organization, The Foundation for the Exhibition of Photography (FEP) produces unique and influential museum-quality photography exhibitions and circulates them around the world. The Foundation for the Exhibition of Photography (Minneapolis/ Paris/Lausanne) aims to enlighten, delight, and inspire people around the world through the presentation of photography exhibitions, publications, related online content, symposia, lectures, and other forms of educational events and materials. Founded in 2003, FEP is based in Minneapolis, a city with a vibrant tradition of support for the arts. The organization has achieved substantial results in its first two decades, with shows travelling to 35 countries on 4 continents, and with catalogues produced in many different languages.

AS WE RISE: PHOTOGRAPHY FROM THE BLACK ATLANTIC

Saatchi Gallery is proud to present AS WE RISE: PHOTOGRAPHY FROM THE BLACK ATLANTIC, an exciting exhibition of photographs from African Diasporic culture. Organised by Aperture and curated by Elliott Ramsey, the exhibition showcases work by Black artists from Canada, the Caribbean, Great Britain, the United States, and the continent of Africa.

The exhibition celebrates the expansive sensibility of the works in the Wedge Collection, Canada’s largest privately-owned collection committed to championing Black artists, established by Dr. Kenneth Montague in 1997. Centring the familial alongside the familiar, the exhibition embraces concepts of community, identity, and power, and recognize the complex strength, beauty, vulnerability, and irreducibility of Black life. The exhibition features such established names as Horace Ové, James Barnor and Gordon Parks, as well as emerging talents such as Texas Isaiah and Arielle Bobb-Willis.

The accompanying book, published by Aperture, will be available to purchase in the Gallery Shop and Saatchi Store online.

AS WE RISE: PHOTOGRAPHY FROM THE BLACK ATLANTIC, selections from the Wedge Collection, is organized by Aperture and curated by Elliott Ramsey. 

About Elliott Ramsey
Elliott Ramsey is Curator of The Polygon Gallery. Ramsey holds a Master of Arts in Comparative Media Arts (2015) from Simon Fraser University. Ramsey is an alumnus of the Association of Art Museum Curators’ Professional Alliance for Curators of Colour, and has sat on numerous panels, advisories, and art juries including the Sobey Award, VIVA Award, Portfolio Prize, and Capture Photography Festival, among various other committees.

About the Wedge Collection
The Wedge Collection was started in 1997 by Dr. Kenneth Montague to acquire and exhibit art that explores Black identity. In addition to the Wedge Collection, Montague founded Wedge Curatorial Projects, a non-profit arts organization that helps support emerging Black artists. A Toronto-based art collector, Montague has been a member of the Art Gallery of Ontario’s board of trustees since 2015 and has served on the African acquisitions committee at Tate Modern, London, as well as on the photography curatorial committee of the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto.

About Aperture
Aperture is a nonprofit publisher that leads conversations around photography worldwide. From our base in New York, Aperture connects global audiences and supports artists through our acclaimed quarterly magazine, books, exhibitions, digital platforms, public programs, limited-edition prints, and awards. Established in 1952 to advance “creative thinking, significantly expressed in words and photographs,” Aperture champions photography’s vital role in nurturing curiosity and encouraging a more just, tolerant society.

— ENDS —

ABOUT SAATCHI GALLERY
Since 1985, Saatchi Gallery has provided an innovative platform for contemporary art. Exhibitions have presented works by largely unseen young artists, or by international artists whose work has been rarely or never exhibited in the UK. This approach has made the Gallery one of the most recognised names in
contemporary art. Since moving to its current 70,000 square feet space in the Duke of York’s Headquarters in Chelsea, London, the Gallery has welcomed over 10 million visitors. The Gallery hosts thousands of school visits annually and has over 6 million followers on social media. In 2019 Saatchi Gallery became a registered charity, beginning a new chapter in its history. www.saatchigallery.com

Registered Charity Number: 1182328
Saatchi Gallery, Duke of York’s HQ, King’s Rd, Chelsea, London SW3 4RY