Parallel Contemporary Art and Saatchi Gallery are proud to announce that the second edition of START, presented by Prudential, will take place between Thursday 10th and Sunday 13th September, previewing on Wednesday 9th September 2015. START provides a high profile platform for emerging artists and new art scenes from around the world. It takes place across all three floors of the Saatchi Gallery and aims to enable collectors, curators, and the greater public to discover new artistic talent. START creates the best possible showcase for young galleries and new artists by providing a very elegant environment with museum-quality spaces.
Galleries in the second edition of START come from cities as diverse as London, Seoul, Cape Town, Colombo, Hanoi, New York, Hong Kong, Budapest, Paris and Bogota to name a few. The full list of galleries participating in START 2015 will be released on 9th June.
START will also feature four high quality curatorial projects to complement the art fair. Chim↑Pom, winners of the 2015 Prudential Eye Awards, will present their first solo exhibition in London. The Japanese collective make work that is socially and politically engaged and have recently shown at P.S.1 in New York. A selection of works from ‘Prudential Singapore Eye’ will focus on the most innovative contemporary art being made in Singapore. A second Japanese collective, teamLab, who were shortlisted for the Prudential Eye Awards, will present an immersive installation that fuses art and new technologies. The fourth curatorial project, ‘This Is Tomorrow’, features galleries from around the world presenting ten solo exhibitions of artists who represent the next generation of international artists or work with issues arising from today’s globalised landscape.
David Ciclitira, Co-Founder of START said: “We are delighted to see the second edition of the fair build on the strong foundations laid by the inaugural edition last year. I truly believe START will allow collectors to go on a journey of discovery, unearthing new artists and gallerists. For us, START is an integral part of the Prudential Eye Programme, bringing together some fantastic art scenes from around the world in the magnificent setting of the Saatchi Gallery.
Nigel Hurst, Chief Executive, Saatchi Gallery and Co-Founder of START said, “The Saatchi Gallery’s role is not only to bring contemporary art wherever it is being made to the widest possible audience, but also to help legitimize the making and collecting of art. START provides a wonderful platform for new galleries and young artists from all over the world so we’re delighted to be hosting this exciting initiative in its second year”.
Niru Ratnam, Fair Director, said: “The curated projects are a really important part of the fair, complementing the galleries. We see START very much as a platform for enabling the discovery and acquisition of emerging international art and these focused curatorial presentations add to the depth of debate and discussion during START.”
Barry Stowe, Chief Executive of Prudential Corporation Asia, said: “We are delighted to be presenting START, an initiative that brings to London - our historical home - some of the most innovative art from around the world. Our support for contemporary art in Asia through the Prudential Eye Programme has helped many emerging artists to gain recognition on a global stage. We hope the Prudential Eye Zone at START gives London visitors an insight into the cutting-edge art emerging from Asia, particularly Singapore which is celebrating its golden jubilee this year.”