Saatchi Gallery

SIGHTLINES

Plenty of space

The Saatchi Gallery is an excellent space for displaying art; it is smaller than the other grand museums of London and offers a different art experience. The salons of the gallery really excite me, they are moderately sized preventing any overwhelming of the senses but large and roomy enough to allow visitors to view the art from a great distance and also very close up as well, with no boundaries around the 2D or 3D works. Often you can walk 360 degrees around sculptures, and with only a couple in a given room there is no overcrowding so the possible viewpoints are rather limitless. The gallery feels sort of labyrinthine to me sometimes with gallery halls flowing into more halls, and at times you stand at a convergence of several halls so you can peek into several at once and see if anything jumps out at you from a distance and then go look more closely. The layout allows for a different path for every visitor instead of a more prescribed path like some museums.

DIDACTICS 

I can appreciate Saatchi's philosophy of trying to encourage people to form their own ideas and opinions about the works they display, however I think this will impact what people take away from their time in the gallery. If someone has a strong interest in art they might investigate pieces of interest from the collection, but other people might just see what they see and learn nothing more. This isn't necessarily good or bad, but I it might leave people with a lot of questions that will end up unanswered, and I don't know if that sits right with me. I think Saatchi needs to work on their didactics, first in placement and clarity - the labels are often far away and unclear which piece they refer to (if you want to look into something further it helps to know the title and artist). Section panels giving (if possible) thematic overviews like in the Tate Modern might help create a foundation for personal reflection on the artworks. Another option would be a small amount of information on the creation process which can have a big impact on our understanding of art, especially contemporary art. For example the first pieces we were shown on the tour - Up and Down sculptures by Juliana Cerqueira Leite was pretty incomprehensible when I first saw it but just with the explanation of the process we can begin to make our own interpretations. 

Leite at work

COLLECTION

I would say the Saatchi Gallery definitely shows an adventurous assortment of artists. The work comes from a variety of artists from the more well-known to unknowns, and from older to younger. They take chances with their selections and are not afraid to show work that makes a statement. I also think most of the pieces on display now (although the show is called 'British Art Now') is very representative of trends in contemporary art, so I feel like I understand its language because at UW I am immersed in it. I do find the work to be a little hit or miss, and the craft can be questionable, leaving me with the feeling that I appreciate something but maybe it isn't on the level to be displayed in such a prominent gallery. It can feel a bit like an MFA show at times, I actually think the 3D work is pretty strong, like Steve Bishop's Christian Dior - J'adore (Mountain Goat) combining a taxidermied goat with a large concrete version of a Dior perfume bottle.