Saatchi’s Best Of British is a nationwide initiative by the BBC and Charles Saatchi to discover the next generation of artistic talent. It’s a unique opportunity for artists of all kinds. And, for one, the ultimate opportunity awaits as Saatchi has reserved a space for their work at his forthcoming exhibition at The Hermitage in St Petersburg, Russia. This will be a glittering highlight in the art calendar, providing an international platform for the successful artist to showcase their work and gather widespread recognition.
The search has 3 stages:
1. Application and selection
From now until 29th March you can apply by submitting images of your work and your personal details www.submityourart.com. We want artists from all disciplines to apply, including painting, sculpture, installation, digital media, printmaking, performance art and many others.
From all the entries we receive, a panel of respected and independent experts from the art world will shortlist the work of approximately 50 artists. This work will be presented to Charles Saatchi in a private exhibition. From these, he will choose the six he believes have the edge, talent and creativity to be developed and refined over the following three months at a specially created Art School.
2. Art School
The six chosen artists will be enrolled into our Art School in London where they will develop their work under the tutelage of some of the most influential names in the art world today. The students will conceive an original art project of their own and will spend the next three months working on it. This will be the work on which Charles Saatchi will ultimately judge them.
There will be two principle tutors whose roles are to grow the talents of the students and guide them with their proposed projects towards the final selection. To further inspire and develop them, important figures in the art world will make guest appearances and deliver masterclasses. These guests will be selected depending on the specific requirements of those attending the Art School.
3. Final Selection
At the end of the Art School period those students who successfully graduate will exhibit their work once more to Charles Saatchi who will decide which one artist he wants to be part of his exhibition in St Petersburg in October. The chosen artist will travel to Russia to show their work in “Newspeak: British Art Now”, Saatchi’s latest exhibition displaying Britain’s new generation of talent. The exhibition will also move to London at a later date.
About the Television Series
Every stage of the process, from initial selection to the exhibition in Russia, will be filmed for a documentary series to be broadcast later this year on BBC Two. We’ll film everything from the selection panels, to interviews with applicants, to the exhibitions and daily life during their time at the Art School. We shall also feature interviews with those who shape the contemporary art world.
The series will concentrate on the people involved, taking the time to get to know them and to understand how they set about creating their work. At heart this is a documentary series about art: how it’s created, how it embodies ideas, and how it achieves value in our culture.
This is a Princess Productions in association with Rare Day for BBC Two.
