Archives: Exhibitions

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 and Riverstone Fulham: 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.

RIGHT HERE RIGHT NOW features new & recent works by emerging and established artists who continue to work on diverse projects with Jealous Print Studio & Gallery. Based in East London, Jealous has built an international reputation for championing new art and for never standing still.

Curated by Jealous

Featured Artists

Jessica Albarn
Joakim Allgulander
Danny Augustine
Charming Baker
Adam Bridgland
Dave Buonaguidi
Anthony Burrill
Jake & Dinos Chapman
Mark Denton
Stanley Donwood
Eelus
Kate Gibb
Chris Levine
Ally McIntyre
Jonathan Mannion
Liam Mertens
Miaz Brothers
Andrew Millar & Word To Mother
Miss Bugs
Morag Myerscough
Sara Pope
David Shrigley
Matt Small
Gary Stranger
Jess Wilson

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.

In Orbit, by design duo Isabel + Helen, is a series of tonal paintings produced by contraptions that have been assembled by hand from industrial materials.

This collection of imperfect circles and the tools used in their creation, explore the space between mass production & the creation of unique art works and in doing so, questions our relationship with machines.

The exposed processes and mechanics are as much a part of the project as the finished paintings. The assembling and activating of the humble machines are left to the laws of physics once the contraptions are set in motion. Whilst the brushes on the arms of the contraptions could be seen as extensions or appendages of the artists themselves, once the machines are activated and the artists have relinquished all control to the mechanisms, they are as close to being observers of the performance and outcome as the rest of us.

Channelling the constraints and repetitive nature of the past year, there is a reassurance in the hypnotic rotation and its limitations. Each painting is made up of thousands of small concentric rings which vary in colour and thickness. The circles are contained and preordained yet exercise their own power through small variations via human input – such as adding more or less paint to the brushes. These differences in the mark-making highlight the fragility of the outcome and the infinite possibilities in the re-adaptation of machines, but not always for efficiency or function.

A sense of contrasting duality underpins their work. At once there is both utility and futility; order and chaos; monotony and variety; detail and mass. The journey and the sum of its parts – a transformation from raw, stripped back materials to the emergence of the colourful and unified circles – is surprising and defiantly hopeful.

About the artists:

Isabel + Helen is the creative studio of London-based design duo Isabel Gibson and Helen Chesner. Having met whilst studying at Chelsea College of Art, they began collaborating on projects that highlighted their shared love of analogue design processes and simple kinetics. Since 2012, they have gained widespread recognition for their experimental, engineered installations and animated sculptures, which hover at the intersection of art and design.
Their practice is underpinned by an ongoing exploration of movement, materials and mechanisms, as they seek to simplify often complex ideas and ambitions, translating them into something more readable and relatable. They aim to recreate moments of simple gratification for the viewer, which are at once honest and unpretentious, yet also misleading in their apparent simplicity.

They have collaborated with a wide range of fashion brands and cultural institutions, including Hermès, Bottega Veneta, Moncler, Craig Green; V&A, and the Tate Modern. Long term collaborators; Hermès, supported the artists in the making of this exhibition.

Saatchi Gallery is pleased to host Studio 7 by Cartier, from 23rd July to 8th August 2021 – a portrait exhibition celebrating the Maison’s seven most iconic creations across watches and jewellery: Santos, Tank, Trinity, Love, Juste Un Clou, Panthère and Ballon Bleu.

Whether passed down from generation to generation or a symbolic marker of a precious moment, Cartier creations bring a sentiment like no other. Studio 7 by Cartier pays tribute to a century of incredible stories narrated through these seven Cartier collections. For the very first time, this unique show of your Cartier moments are told through a photographic journey from the past to the present, exclusively at Saatchi Gallery in London.

Gallery 1 – LEGENDS – exhibits a series of legendary historical portraits featuring Cartier creations. From Andy Warhol with his Tank watch, Jean Cocteau and his Trinity ring to Tina Turner and her Love bracelet, all portraits printed in black and white are displayed in a linear showcase. Gallery 1 also houses creations from the Cartier Collection featuring some of the earliest iterations of these iconic collections. This includes a Santos wristwatch from Cartier Paris from 1916 and the very first Juste Un Clou bracelet in yellow gold, from Cartier New York dated from 1971.

Gallery 2 – INSPIRATION – introduces a new dimension of portraiture, bringing to life modern day friends of the Maison wearing Cartier creations from all seven collections, with a personal meaning close to their heart. A series of black and white portraits by renowned British photographer Mary McCartney are projected on a floor to ceiling screen, for a fully immersive experience. Actor Vanessa Kirby is seen wearing her Juste Un Clou bracelet, whilst boxer Ramla Ali models her Panthère watch and Mary McCartney is seen with her Love bracelet in a self-portrait. Other friends of the Maison include milliner Stephen Jones OBE, actor Emma Corrin, director and actor David Oyelowo OBE amongst others.

Gallery 3 – STUDIO – is home to the Cartier Studio, a custom-built photography studio within the exhibition inviting Cartier lovers to share their very own Cartier story and to be photographed wearing their favourite Cartier creations. Photographers were chosen amongst emerging talent and mentored by Mary McCartney.

Studio 7 by Cartier brings to life a new chapter of Cartier stories in Gallery 4 – ENCOUNTERS – a dynamic and evolving exhibition space where select portraits taken in the Cartier Studio are displayed in a mosaic of digital screens. Unique print out portrait photographs will be printed in black and white for guests, a keepsake for years to come.

CARTIER ICONS

Santos

Simplicity. Practicality. Innovation. These were the three major principles of Alberto Santos-Dumont, the aviation pioneer. Every single one of his projects was guided by the desire to make further progress. In 1904, Louis Cartier granted the famous aviator’s wish: to be able to tell the time while flying, manning the controls of his plane without having to stop to check his pocket watch. He revolutionised watchmaking by creating the first modern wristwatch.

Tank

At the start of the 20th century, Louis Cartier undertook formal research with the aim of incorporating the hour circle into the lines of the bracelet and to refine and ultimately integrate the design of the horns so that they continue from the case onto the bracelet. Although first developed by Cartier in late 1916, the Tank wasn’t launched until 1919. Between 15 November and 26 December 1919, six pieces were added to stock; on 17 January of the following year, none were left. The Tank is the watch of aesthetes and creatives looking for ultimate elegance, who appreciate it for its pure design.

Trinity

This cult ring, spanning the boundaries between jewellery and sculpture, feminine and masculine, playful and symbolic, was born of the imagination of Louis Cartier in 1924, the year it can first be found in the Maison’s registers. The Trinity ring was greeted with acclaim, as was the Trinity bracelet. A symbol of French chic and elegance, all are irresistibly drawn to it.

Love

Created in New York in 1969 by the Cartier designer Aldo Cipullo, the Love bracelet is an icon of jewellery design. A unisex piece full of symbolism, the Love bracelet is a statement piece, a physical embodiment of feelings. Love is no longer free but joins lovers together through a band of gold worn on the wrist and which is closed using a specific screwdriver. This bracelet is like a precious handcuff since two people are needed to secure the screws. By wearing it, every couple may proclaim their love for one another for all to see.

Juste Un Clou

When the Juste un Clou bracelet was created in 1971 in New York by Aldo Cipullo, the designer at Cartier New York at that time, it was known as the Nail Bracelet. Based on the same approach of seeking beauty whenever it may lie, turning functional objects into precious ones, this bracelet appeared even more provocative and transgressive than its predecessor. Like the Love bracelet, the gold Nail bracelet was unisex, and came in two sizes. This creation returned in 2012, when its pure lines earned it the name Juste un Clou.

Panthère

When it was launched in 1983, the Panthère de Cartier watch reinvented the concept of a jewellery watch. This best-selling watch was embraced by the fun-loving 80s, proving particularly popular with the art scene. Above and beyond its design, this watch slinks onto the skin in a rippling celebration of triumphant and carefree femininity. A state of mind embodied by the vibrant and sophisticated icons of the 80s and continued today by a whole new generation of bold and impeccably stylish women.

Ballon Bleu

The Ballon Bleu de Cartier watch was created in 2007. Worn by both men and women alike, who appreciate its personality and comfort when worn, this creation has rapidly become a resounding success and a Cartier icon. Whether Fine Watchmaking models or jewellery versions, Ballon Bleu has inspired Cartier to create many different variants on metal bracelets or leather straps.

About Cartier

A reference in the world of luxury, Cartier, whose name is synonymous with open-mindedness and curiosity, stands out with its creations and reveals beauty wherever it may be found. Jewellery, fine jewellery, watchmaking and fragrances, leather goods and accessories: Cartier’s creations symbolize the convergence between exceptional craftsmanship and a timeless signature. Today, the Maison has a worldwide presence through its 265 boutiques.

About Cartier Collection

In the 1970s, Cartier began to reassemble objects from its own production: jewelry, watches, clocks and other precious accessories were collected for conservation, which lead to the foundation of the Cartier Collection in 1983.
Today, the Cartier Collection comprises items dating from as early as the 1860s till as late as the 1990s. These pieces act as material records of Cartier’s over 170-year of style and creativity but also provide a wider historical account of the evolutions within the decorative arts and within society since the end of the nineteenth century.

With almost 1,600 pieces and still growing, the Cartier Collection has sparked the attention of museums worldwide. Since its first major exhibition in 1989 at the Petit Palais in Paris, the Cartier Collection has shown selections of its pieces at some of the world’s most renowned institutions, amongst them the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York (1997), the British Museum in London (1998), the Kremlin Museums in Moscow (2007), the Palace Museum inside the Forbidden City in Beijing (2009 and 2019), the Grand Palais in Paris (2013-14) and the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra (2018).

Dominic Beattie, Will Cruickshank, Alice Wilson, Laura White, Neil Zakiewicz

Mass refers to the physicality and largeness of things or a clustering of materials. Buildings are considered to have mass in the cityscape and mass products pump from factories to the population masses. The five artists in this exhibition enjoy the mass of materials, to produce urban and modern art forms.

In the religious sense of the word, a Mass is the transformation of worldly matter into the divine. Taking ordinary materials, such as builders merchant’s timber, MDF, aerosol paint, rubber, and through a reconfiguration, the artists aspire beyond ordinary standards of scale, towards the cosmic realm. Sculptures that reach for the sky and paintings allude to heavenly bodies and stained glass windows.

Artist Ben Turnbull presents American History Remix; a retrospective exhibition voyaging through 150 years of America’s tumultuous past. With an unashamedly parodic lens, American History Remix is a boldly candid exploration of the nation’s most defining moments, from the birth of the ‘American Frontier’, via the Kennedy assassinations to the darker days of gun culture and the inauguration of Donald Trump.

American History Remix subverts the childhood innocence of comics, action figures, colourful collages and school paraphernalia to reimagine U.S history through the eyes of a troubled child. In his signature ‘Angry Pop’ style Turnbull offers alternative theories using a variety of Americana childhood products, manipulating these to expose the engulfing web of America’s political mayhem.

Bringing together a body of work created over 15 years, including never-before-seen pieces, American History RemiX is a shocking encounter with uncomfortable truths about the USA.

Ben Turnbull said: “American History RemiX at the Saatchi Gallery is the culmination of my ongoing examination of American history that continues to fascinate and surprise the world. The works presented here are 15 years in the making, and I urge all to look for the hidden meanings and truths within these pieces. Over the last few years, I’ve worked to deliver both sides of the narrative, that is the insider and outsider’s perspective, as it’s vital we consider both sides of the coin when weighing up global histories”.

American History Remix follows Turnbull’s successful Manifest Decimation exhibition of 2019 in an age of healing for America, as the nation begins to assess, enact new movements and repair the damage of recent years. Challenging the way we perceive history, this exhibition continues Turnbull’s ongoing exploration of the struggles that define one of the most powerful countries in the world.

About Ben Turnbull

Ben Turnbull is a contemporary pop artist who lives and works in London. Born in London in 1974, Turnbull has been fascinated by American pop culture and comic books since his early youth. Americana is central to his art; working with found objects, including vintage comic books and toys, he creates challenging and provocative discourses on American politics and social ideologies. Having previously worked as a craftsman on the set of film productions, Turnbull’s works are painstakingly made with meticulous detail and precision.

Turnbull has exhibited in a number of solo exhibitions, including his breakthrough show ‘Us Vs Them’ at the Lazarides Gallery in 2007 after his inclusion in the infamous ‘Santa’s Ghetto’ show on Oxford St in 2006. He was also offered a prestigious solo representation at Volta NY in 2010 after a series of his London shows brought attention to gun crime and teenage angst. In 2011 Turnbull exhibited ‘Supermen – An Exhibition of Heroes’ at Eleven Fine Art, which presented a series of comic book collage portraits of the firefighters who gave their lives during the 9/11 attacks. Turnbull has also exhibited in a variety of international group shows, including 2012’s ‘We Could Be Heroes: The Mythology of Monsters and Heroes in Contemporary Art’ in Utah, USA and was invited to exhibit a retrospective of his large scale works at The Lancaster Institute for the Contemporary Arts the same year.

The 10th edition of Carmignac Photojournalism Award is dedicated to the Amazon and the issues related to its deforestation. Chaired by Yolanda Kakabadse, Minister of the Environment of Ecuador between 1988 and 2000 and President of WWF from 2010 to 2017, the jury met in November 2019 and awarded Tommaso Protti. This exhibition is curated by Simon Baker and Laurie Hurwitz (Maison Européenne de la Photographie, Paris).

From January to July 2019, Italian photojournalist Tommaso Protti, accompanied by British journalist Sam Cowie, travelled thousands of miles across the Brazilian Amazon to create this reportage. From the eastern region of Maranhão to the western region of Rondônia, through the states of Pará and Amazonas, they portrayed life in modern day Brazilian Amazon, where social and humanitarian crises overlap with the ongoing destruction of the rainforest.

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The Amazon accounts for half of the remaining tropical forests on the planet and is home to 70% of the world’s biodiversity, but the development of economic activities in the region mean that this ecosystem is under more threat than ever before. Photographer Tommaso Protti recounts the retreating of the region and the damage inflicted by its deforestation, with scenes of illegal gold mines gnawing voraciously into the subsoil, jungle cemeteries where stranded trees form tombstone crosses, abject killings to steal a few acres of land or a pinch of drugs, unhealthy favelas burned by devastating fires, scenes of drunkenness, prostitution or cocaine-laced insanity in the heat of these tropical mean streets.

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Tommaso Protti has taken his keen-eyed camera into the deepest corners of Amazonia to illustrate uncompromising testimonies of its inhabitants: a forester crying over a fallen tree; a gold digger, his fingers gnawed away by his fever for the metal; a little girl lost after her homeland has been flooded by a hydro-electric dam; a drug dealer arrested in the middle of an interview. All subjects share the same feelings: saudade for the past, distress about the present and despair for the future. Protti’s keen-edged camera captures the reality of the Amazon that has already been wiped out in the last 50 years, with up to 30% more expected to be lost by 2050.

The photographs raise awareness of the local, and global, degradation currently taking place in the Amazon due to climate change and human activity, while offering a glimpse into the modern everyday life of one of the world’s most extraordinary regions and its inhabitants.

The exhibition will be accompanied by a comprehensive bilingual French-English catalogue co-published by Fondation Carmignac and Reliefs Editions, available for purchase at Saatchi Store, featuring photographs and committed text on the 7-month reportage in the Amazon.

About the Artist

Tommaso Protti (Italy, 1986)

Tommaso Protti lives and works in São Paulo, Brazil. He started his career as a photographer in 2011 after graduating in Political Science and International Relations. His photographs have been published in major titles including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Time, National Geographic, The New Yorker, The Guardian, The Independent, and Le Monde. His reportage ‘Amazônia’, supported by the Carmignac Photojournalism Award, won the ‘World Understanding Award’ of the 77th Picture Of the Year in March, 2020.

About the Carmignac Photojournalism Award

In 2009, while media and photojournalism faced an unprecedented crisis, Edouard Carmignac created the Carmignac Photojournalism Award to support photographers in the field. Directed by Emeric Glayse, it funds annually the production of an investigative photo reportage on human rights violations and geostrategic issues in the world. Selected by an international jury, the laureate receives a €50.000 grant, enabling them to carry out an in-depth research in the field, with logistical support from Fondation Carmignac. The latter presents a travelling exhibition and the publication of a monograph upon their return.

The 11th edition of the Carmignac Photojournalism Award is dedicated to the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

About Fondation Carmignac

Created in 2000 under the initiative of Édouard Carmignac, Fondation Carmignac is a corporate foundation with an art collection of about 300 works, which also funds the Carmignac Photojournalism Award. The Collection, presented and shared inside the company’s offices, celebrates American art from the 1960s to the 1980s, with iconic works by Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein and Jean-Michel Basquiat, to 20th and 21st century masterpieces by Gerhard Richter, Willem de Kooning, Martial Raysse, Miquel Barceló or Ed Ruscha, and contemporary art including works by Zhang Huan and El Anatsui. In 2018, the Fondation opened a public site in Porquerolles, a Mediterranean island, where visitors can discover contemporary artworks of the Carmignac collection in the beautiful surroundings of a national park, along with a sculpture garden and temporary exhibitions every year. The island is not the result of a random decision: “As in all legends or initiatory journeys, the voyage to the island is always a dual crossing -both physical and psychological. It is about crossing over to the other side,” states the Director of the foundation, Charles Carmignac.

#PrixCarmignacAmazonia

Antisocial Isolation is a group exhibition featuring artworks by some of the most exciting emerging artists of today. Curated by Delphian Gallery founders Benjamin Murphy and Nick JS Thompson, the works in the exhibition deliberate on the future and respond to the current Covid-19 pandemic, offering unique perspectives and fresh contexts to aid an understanding of our surroundings.

About Benjamin Murphy (b. 1988)

Hailing from West Yorkshire, artist and writer Benjamin Murphy now lives and works in London. His artworks often depict themes inspired by classical literature and poetry to initiate non-linear perspectives of storytelling. His current work utilises charcoal to explore themes of chaos, fragility, and memory.

Alongside being an artist, Murphy also lectures at the University of the Arts London and writes on contemporary art for a number of publications.

About Nick JS Thompson (b.1988)

Born in 1988, Thompson spent his formative years documenting BMX and its associated subcultures, before widening his field of vision to explore and document communities, and the marks that they leave upon the spaces they inhabit.

There is a stillness to much of Thompson’s imagery, that draws our gaze to the often overlooked beauty in quotidian space. Social commentary is a consistent presence in his images, but didacticism gives way to subtlety and nuance. The viewer is confronted with reality, and is given the space to interpret this for themselves.

About Delphian Gallery

Delphian Gallery was launched in 2017 by artists Benjamin Murphy and Nick JS Thompson. Primarily London based, they aim to discover and then present the most captivating and challenging work by early-career contemporary artists.

Since their genesis, Benjamin and Nick have curated exhibitions in multiple countries, launched a popular arts podcast, and recently published their first book Navigating the Art World: Professional Practice for the Early Career Artist.
https://delphiangallery.com/>

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Philip Colbert’s Lobsteropolis is the largest UK survey to date of Colbert’s artistic universe, inviting viewers to engage digitally and in situ with the works.

A one-way system will guide visitors through the exhibition, picking a route through art which interrogates mass consumerism and references contemporary culture and history. Colbert has created a global following for his cartoon lobster persona and his masterful hyper-pop history paintings. His work explores the patterns of contemporary digital culture and its relationship to a deeper historical dialogue. Colbert once said, “I became an artist when I became a Lobster”.

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Under lockdown, Colbert’s shrunken horizons and own social media echo chamber prompted him to conceptualise Lobsteropolis as his response to the pandemic. He believes that seeing art in situ is an important part of society and a culture in which people are free to do things for themselves. In his brash, splashy world of contemporary culture, Colbert explains the reasoning for his cartoon-like vision. “The lobster is my materialistic alter-ego.

Colbert points out that many of the symbolic references of art history have become as iconic in themselves as Coca Cola or Google; Warhol’s work is easily as recognisable as McDonald’s sign or the apple symbol. As Colbert’s work addresses the commercial realities of hyper consumption – and what is considered an ‘uploadable’ social media experience – Colbert’s ‘Lobsteropia’ is a continued journey of the lobster as art protagonist. Philip Colbert’s works are exuberant attempts to update the practice of collage for the internet age. His paintings challenge and toy with the viewer’s cultural vocabulary. He superimposes commonplace, banal objects onto painted faces and merges portraiture with popular culture in a Magritte-like fashion. Emojis, computer windows, classical architecture, Lichtenstein spots, comic book sound effects, cactus plants and pixelated mouse cursors all have a place in Colbert’s world.

About Unit London

Since the brand’s inception in 2013, Unit London has established a global artistic platform for the world’s most distinctive emerging talent. In an often opaque and impenetrable art world, Unit London seeks to identify, cultivate and expose works of art on a purely meritocratic basis. The gallery has successfully launched and advanced the careers of numerous important contemporary artists and remains a bastion of equity, innovation and sustainability.

About Philip Colbert

Born in Scotland and living and working in London, Colbert has created a global following for his cartoon lobster persona and his hyper pop history paintings. “I became an artist when I became a Lobster” says Colbert. 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. Colbert’s seminal NEW PAINTINGS & HUNT PAINTINGS showed at Saatchi Gallery in 2017 & 2018 marking his transition into epic Large scale works on canvas.

Special thanks to Esther Fox, researcher on the D4D project as part of her role as Head of the Accentuate Programme, Praminda Caleb-Solly, Professor for Assistive Robotics and Intelligent Health Technologies at the Bristol Robotics Lab, and Martin Levinson, Professor of Cultural Identities at Bath Spa University.