On August 19 I put on an ironed shirt and caught a train to London to see 2 of my new paintings hanging in the Saatchi Gallery. Typing that out, even two weeks after the private view, feels a little surreal. The group show titled RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW was curated by Dario Illari of Jealous Gallery, and he very kindly asked me to paint 2 new pieces to sit alongside work from artists like Jake and Dinos Chapman, David Shrigley, Chris Levine, Charming Baker and more.
During lockdown I made the decision to not just change style but mediums too, replacing spray cans for brushes (I’ll write a little more about this another time). I’d only painted one piece in acrylics prior to this show, so as well as wrestling with the new challenges that come with acrylic paint, I was also battling a fairly large slice of imposter syndrome with an extra dollop of delicious anxiety, yum yum! You know what, they came out pretty good, I’m proud of them, and I was especially pleased to see how much better they looked hanging in the Saatchi than in my crowded studio.
The paintings sold on the night of the private view but if you’re liking the work and want to bring one home, there are a few copies from the screen printed editions available HERE and HERE.
RIGHT HERE RIGHT NOW at Saatchi Gallery runs until Sept 9th 2021 and is curated by Jealous Gallery. Admission is free.
© Piers Allardyce, 2021. Image courtesy of Saatchi Gallery, London
© Piers Allardyce, 2021. Image courtesy of Saatchi Gallery, London
© Piers Allardyce, 2021. Image courtesy of Saatchi Gallery, London
© Piers Allardyce, 2021. Image courtesy of Saatchi Gallery, London
© Piers Allardyce, 2021. Image courtesy of Saatchi Gallery, London
© Toby Goodyear
© Toby Goodyear