Saatchi Gallery

    The Saatchi Gallery has many contemporary works of art on display.  The piece that immediately drew my attention on the first floor was titled Swarm (2004), by Tessa Farmer.  It consisted of a large glass showcase with a large number of suspended bugs and insects, but when viewed closely there were actually tiny hand-crafted skeletons riding the bugs.  They were created with organic materials, some even consisting of the bug remains.  The small delicate details were absolutely amazing, and you had to look very closely to appreciate them.  The delicate way in which the sculptures were made can relate to the actual delicacy of parts of an insect such as the wings and fragile legs.
     I was also drawn to the paintings of Nicholas Byrne, including Hoiser (2010) and Untitled (Boy) (2007).  The artist states his work speaks to Surrealism "where bodies cross into objects."  He also says there is a "feeling of tension" about his work, which I felt as I was standing on front of it because of the sharp, angular shapes and contrasting colors.  Visually I thought the painterly brush strokes and color palette was appealing, and I liked the contrast between the black and white frames in Untitled (Boy).  I appreciate work that has a strong sense of contrast within it, which is why I also liked Mustafa Hulusi's oil paintings.  His Exstacy Almond Blossom 3 and Excstacy Almond Blossom 8 (2008) stood out to me in the gallery because of their size and optical allusion design that popped out at the viewer.  I also loved how the flower blossoms were painted to look like a photograph; some blossoms were clear and in focus while the ones in the background were blurry.  This type of effect used by oil paint in such a realistic way was really nice.  Paired with the black and white which the artist refers to as "trippy," there is a nice contrast between the organic, natural flowers and the striking geometric lines.  Hulusi also describes these paintings as being "open-ended" and open to interpretation.  My interpretation is the comparison of an organic feel paired with the optical allusion which gives the piece its striking appearance.