What is Saatchi Yates doing right that other galleries aren’t? Well, it seems they’ve cracked the code—flooding Instagram with ads, getting the artist to churn out a thousand smaller pieces, each priced at £1000. It’s a clever shift in strategy, likely because the days of wealthy collectors throwing money at big-name galleries are fading. So, Saatchi Yates is aiming for a different crowd—the Instagram generation, those who love snapping selfies in front of colorful art, lured by the appeal of “affordable” yet “unique” pieces.
Honestly, I only checked out the latest show because videos and photos from the opening filled my feed. I’ve been to the gallery three times before and didn’t like any of the exhibitions. This time? No different. Or maybe it was different because I felt indifferent. They’re masking the whole thing under the guise of “affordability,” but it fact the art and whole hype feels hollow.
When I visited the exhibition at 2 pm on a Saturday, just two days after the big opening (on Instagram it looked like half of London went there), the gallery was dead—just me and two other people. A girls was walking around the space, “contemplating” on what she was looking at, a guy was filming her and I was filming them. If felt like I was part of some bizarre social experiment. Why was I even there? I could’ve been at home, reading in bed.
The funniest part came when I overheard a guy gushing to the gallery staff about how “fresh” it was to see artists using spray paint on canvas in such a prestigious space. Clearly, this man had spent way too long in a sauna. He asked if he could buy one of the smaller works, only to be told they were all sold out. There you have it—£1 million, earned just like that. Can you imagine how many hot buns that is?! Or maybe they lied. Galleries are assholes! They sell to whoever they want not to whoever wants to buy.
Ace for the art itself? Not my thing. I don’t know much about street art or spray paint’s history, but the pieces didn’t move me. Still, I have to give credit to the artist’s Instagram bio: “I’m not an artist. I paint like a 6-year-old.” Is that irony, humor, honesty, arrogance, self-criticism? Whatever it is, it reeks of “Professional Art Bullshitter” vibes.
Read the press release. I’m sure you will straight away imagine my comments. I’m adding a word “bold” to a list of words that shouldn’t be used in any exhibition texts.
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