The Saatchi Gallery: New Art From China

The Saatchi Gallery is the world’s largest, free entry contemporary art museum, and last week it opened in a new location, showcasing modern art from various artists from China.

Gallery 1 contains a model plan of a city made entirely of dog chews

The head below is made out of burnt incense and is a self-portrait of the artist (Zhang Huan)

There were so many amazing pieces that I didn’t take pictures of.  Here’s a short selection of what I did take.

This installation called “Chinese Offspring” is by Zhang Dali, and it represents migrant construction workers.

Probably most famously, “Old Persons Home” by Sun Yuan and Peng Yu depicts world leaders, moving around on wheelchairs, looking withered and senile.  They’re so life-like, it’s actually quite scary.

I have to say this is probably the best art gallery/installation I’ve been to since the Tate Modern’s Weather Project a number of years ago, and these pictures really don’t do it justice.  It was bonus bumping into Jake Gyllenhaal who was out with Reese Witherspoon.  I did politely ask him for a picture but grumpy Miss Witherspoon (who I didn’t recognise at first) dragged him away, leaving him apologetically having to say no.  They then put their shades on, because of course then no one would recognise them!  Bless ’em.  It must be quite horrid being famous when all you want to do is enjoy a stroll around a gallery.

If you’re ever in London, check this exhibition out.  You won’t leave disappointed.  It underlines my view that London has the best art scene in the world, speaking of which..

I went back to Leake Street to see how the graffiti from a few months ago during the Cans Festival had changed.

The tunnel is completely different now, with pretty much all the original work gone, but it’s great to see people are still adding their own stuff to it.

I could not agree more:

Major disappointment – all of Brick Lane‘s graffiti has been scrubbed off.  It’s a travesty!