the Saatchi Gallery

As an art gallery that exists both in actuality as well as virtually, the Saatchi Gallery is second to none in the volume and quality of work housed on its website and in its halls. In fact, Saatchi represents the standard against which all other galleries are measured, and indeed may itself be the definitive source for accessing contemporary art of all styles. The gallery uses several methods to publish the creative work of the thousands of artists that utilise its services as a means of promoting themselves. In its online form, a wide variety of rooms exist in which artists may not only post samples of their work, but also interact with the other artists and with the art lovers that frequent its cyber-halls. Such rooms as the Stuart Room, provide a place for students of the visual arts to display their own work and form networks to promote and discuss art. The Crits Room allows other artists the opportunity to critique the works placed there on display, while a room exists in which street artists have the freedom to create and display their works without prejudice, but rather with acclaim. Other resources on the site also allow for the actual creation of artistic pieces, such as the availability of an online studio. In addition to this, the gallery (both London- and online-based) hosts a wide variety of exhibitions based on important historical or cultural themes. It includes culture-based themes such as â€Å"USA Today: New American Art,† â€Å"Germania: New Art from Germany,† and â€Å"New Britannia. † Exhibitions are also held under such themes as â€Å"The Power of Paper† and â€Å"Shape of Things to Come† in order to underscore the strength of these respective artistic mediums. The Saatchi Gallery therefore offers more than a portal to viewing art: it is a means of creating, exploring, and understanding current art as well as shaping its direction for the future. Showdown The Saatchi Gallery hosts its artist â€Å"Showdown† as a means of promoting and rewarding artists that demonstrate themselves as possessing extraordinary talent. It is also a means of getting popular opinion on the works of these up-and-coming artists. Over a one-week period, Saatchi accepts one piece of art work from each artist that chooses to enter the contest. Submissions are accepted between 9:00 a. m. on Monday until 6:00 p. m. on the following Sunday. Voting then begins, and each visitor to the site is allowed to rate the quality of each piece of work submitted. Visitors may vote on as many pieces as they wish, but are allotted only one vote for each individual piece. They indicate their preference for a particular work by rating it on a scale of one (1) to ten (10). After the scores are tallied, a duel begins between the two artists who have attained the highest scores. These two leaders vie for a chance to enter the final showdown, where the winners of twelve such rounds go head to head for the final prize of ?1000 for the winner and ?750 for the runner up. Entrance into this event on the Saatchi website is free and easy, and it holds the promise of furthering the careers of not just the talented winners but also of the wide variety of talented entrants whose works will be seen by Saatchi’s large viewing audience. The competition is also a means of exposing young artists to the triumphs and pitfalls that are likely to attend them throughout their entire artistic career. Therefore, artists not only get the chance to benefit monetarily, but also the chance to develop as a professional businessperson. Art Fair The Saatchi Gallery acts as a means of informing the public about the plethora of art events that take place annually around the globe. Within its pages, it is possible to find the profiles of those organisations that host and promote art shows in the various cities, regions, and countries of the world. Local, regional and international events are promoted on the site daily, with images, descriptions, and other critical information that enables the selective art lover to determine the likelihood of the event to suit his/her preferences. Saatchi welcomes all event hosts to utilise this resource as a means of getting traffic to their art shows or fairs, as well as to their website. In fact, this resource is offered free of charge to such art fair event planners, and they are welcome to use as many pages as necessary to aptly describe their fair and reach out to their intended audience. Upon choosing a username and password, event hosts are able to create a profile of their event that includes various dimensions. In addition to venue, hours, tickets/prices, directions and exhibitor profiles, space is granted for the inclusion of information about sponsors and also to upload pictures, images, or other graphics that will enhance the appeal of the event in the eyes of the public. Furthermore, the Saatchi gallery supports the editing of such event profiles so that pertinent information regarding the fair may be added at any time after the initial posting. This resource’s value has already been discovered by hundreds of artistic organisations, and the benefits gained by their use of the service have been incalculable. With this service, Saatchi offers next-generation methods of on-demand promotion to meet the requirements of 21st century art aficionados. Photographers The breadth and scope of the Saatchi Gallery’s influence in the world of art can be gauged by the variety of artistic genres to which it extends its facility. Saatchi extends all courtesies granted to artists also to a large number of photographers, and caters especially to those photo-artists who have gone unrecognised despite having produced consistently solid and meritorious work throughout their careers. The gallery bars no photographer on grounds of his/her cultural, national or ethnic background. Rather, cultural diversity is encouraged and fostered in the international artistic forum that the Saatchi Gallery has become. Photographers are welcome to upload their work to the website after completing a short registration process. Images should be uploaded as jpg files of a size no greater than 2 megabytes. Upon uploading, their work becomes viewable by the millions of viewers already frequenting the site, and accessible to the hundreds of art-oriented websites that link to Saatchi Online. For any photographer, this resource is invaluable in its ability to vivify their career as an artist. All are given the freedom to create their own profiles online and upload up to eight (8) pieces that they believe are most representative of their artistic talent and creative posture. Photographers are also allowed the chance to make contact with those interested in their work, and this group may range from admirers to potential buyers. The gallery also enhances the networking capabilities of these photographers with respect both to their work and to the work of others in their field. It allows them the chance to converse with photographers and critics alike as a means of gaining inspiration or of improving the quality of their future work. Saatchi Online is therefore an indispensable tool for the improvement of artistic photography careers on an international scale.