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.
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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