Last Wednesday evening I trotted down to the Saatchi and Saatchi offices to sample the first offering from 4C; an exhibition curated by global network of creative types, CULT GEIST. The exhibition, entitled “The Sightseeing Tour”, is made up of twenty-four emerging artists from across the world. Aimed at portraying how “urban culture inspires creativity”, each of the two dozen artists has communicated their ideas through a variety of different mediums.
If the premise of this exhibition sounds a little broad and vague, as it did to me, then little was done to elucidate it once presented with the works themselves. The pieces currently on show at the Saatchi offices are only a flavour of the whole collection, and so perhaps in their intended context a more complete picture will be formed. As it was, attempting to view a photograph in a corridor with my nose pressed up against it as someone squeezed past me to get to the ladies, was not ideal.
However, although the works on show were perhaps not done justice to, the premise behind the exhibiton is most certainly an interesting one. Using the urban landscape as an artistic playground, artists have used every aspect of the city as the starting point for narratives. Through the resultant paintings, photos and drawings, “enlightened” brands are invited to see the shape of youth culture today through the eyes of those creating it. Marisa Brickman, director of CULT-GEIST, said: “If brands are serious about the youth market, they need to do more than tactical “badge-slapping” exercises that pay lip service to young people’s passions and interests – and become an active participant in culture. Before they can do this, they must fully understand the culture they are trying to penetrate and they won’t get this through dead data. This is where CULT-GEIST comes in.”
And let’s not go forgetting the abundance of complimentary drinks that were being handed out. A tequila cocktail washed down with a can of red stripe. Lovely. And I don’t think I was the only one enjoying them looking at the very healthy turn out of young fashionable things around me.
Categories ,Collection, ,exhibition, ,Saatchi and Saatchi
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