Saatchi Gallery

Sightlines

This gallery enables various sightlines to engage new methods for viewing objects. This museum is unique and unlike any of the others we have visited this semester. It exhibits different works and forms of modern art. The gallery consists of paintings, drawings, sculptures, posters, and even a room filled completely with oil. Because the museum consists of so many diverse art forms, there are various sightlines to view the objects. For example, when viewing a sculpture, the observer can walk around the object and view it from every angle. Another example is the wall full of puerto-rican graves which could be viewed from the ground and from the floor above on a balcony. These various sightlines help the observers to truly get a sense of the artwork. The pieces of art work are also displayed spread out from each other so that you can view one piece of artwork without being distracted by another. The sightlines at the Saatchi Gallery depart from other museum visists because other museums did not have to provide so many different vantage points for viewing art because the art collections were not as diverse. I also found this museum to be much more spread out and minimalistic with the exhibits in each room so that the individual art works could be appreciated without the distraction of another piece.

Didactics

The Saatchi Gallery is unique in that the galleries present minimal text in relation to the art. The purpose for this is so that each viewer can take what the may out of the art, without being pre-disposed to its "meaning" by the text. I like the idea of this and think that viewing art is a personal experience that is different for everyone. However, there were instances where I found it hard to even find the artist's name and think that this is an important aspect to display in text besides the artwork. Other information that I would appreciate is the title of the art work because it gives me a sense of what the artist is trying to portray without completely skewing my judgment of the piece. I would also like to know how the artwork was created because in some cases I am able to further appreciate the art when I know the great length the artist went to create it. An example of this are the two statues we saw in the first room created out of clay, where the artist climbed down through the clay for the "down" statue and up through a block of clay for the "up" statue". I wouldn't have known that was how the piece of art was created unless I had been told and I really enjoyed these two statues, especially after I learned the length the artist went to create them.

Collection

I find the works on view at the Saatchi Gallery more adventurous than museums. There are some works that would not be displayed in a museum, or at least not most museums, such as the work that is a collection of spam advertising. This piece of art work may be questionable in subject matter to some viewers, due to the fact that it questions religion and displays pornographic images, but I find it to be unique and adventurous. This piece of artwork is unlike anything I have seen in museums here in London, but speaks toward a greater cause, which is how all of our needs and desires are targeted through spam mail. I also would never have seen a room completely filled with oil in any other museum here in London and this was also a truly unique experience to me. I think that because this is a modern art museum some of the work is very edgy and unique. I can see how some people would think some of the art is questionable in craft and subject matter, but I appreciate how different the art is and how diverse the collection at the museum is.