Salon Contemporary is a vibrant hot-bed and network for new talent, carefully selected by director Samir Ceric from the UK's leading art schools, offering an array of original works that explode onto the art market with refreshing vivacity. Keep up to date with this blog for news on current competitions, future exhibitions and all the exciting projects the Salon staff have been up to!
Artist of The Week runner up Helen Gorrill at SAATCHI ONLINE.
Handprinted ball-gagged pope series with tiny individual confessions. On exhibition at Salon Contemporary, Notting Hill London until 30th January 2011 (and whilst there you're invited to submit your own, anonymous confession to be part of my huge confessional quilt!)
The team at Salon Contemporary wanted to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a prosperous and Happy New Year! It’s been an exciting year and with the launch of Debut Contemporary, 2011 is looking more exciting than ever. Please check our new website www.debutcontemporary.com which was launched a couple of days ago and will be completed with the selected artists and online shop in the run up to the February launch. Pass on the information to any ambitious and talented artists you may know and urge them to apply for a mentoring scheme place asap as we are already half way through the full occupancy.
As I am sure you all know, this month's exhibition in Salon Contemporary consists of four female artists.
Therefore we've been feeling the girl power to get us through this icy-cold month, eagerly awaiting for christmas to arrive so that we can get warm and cosy with our loved ones over a giant turkey!
It's not often that female artist's get the recognition that they deserve, so to showcase four talents at once raises the bar even higher and awareness of raw talent amongst women.
So here at Salon Contemporary, it could be partly due to the weather conditions (:S) or just simply because we have 'girl-fever' going on, but we're obsessed with this four-piece, girl band called WARPAINT.
Described by the BBC as the sound of 2011 and by matching the moods inside the gallery and the temperature outside, Warpaint is an experimental art rock group from Los Angeles, who formed in 2004 on Valentine's Day.
The band played in the LA area for three years, gaining fans and writing songs such as "Stars", "Beetles", and "Elephants", which would eventually comprise their debut EP, Exquisite Corpse. Take a listen to it.
We loved all of their songs but we wanted to play you a favorite of ours called 'Undertow'.
The album might be slightly meloncholic but the soft melodies and gentle build up leave us wanting to hear more.
Discussing Helen Gorrill's "Benedict Re-bound Confession"
Salon Contemporary was thrilled to announce Celina Langen as the first winner of our new and very exciting ‘Curator of the Month’ competition launched back in November. ‘Curator of the Month’ offers young talents the chance to curate an exhibition of the nation’s aspiring contemporary artists in the artistic hub of Notting Hill.
Celina took this in her grasp, curating a magnificent exhibition comprising of works by previous Artist of the Week Winners, Helen Gorrill, the art collective Akleriah, Dragana Jurisic and Alyona Larionova; the preview night being a late night opening of Salon Contemporary for the First Wednesdays event, a very well received launch at the beginning of the month.
Celina discussed what her ideal exhibition would be to curate, her ideas about the emerging contemporary art within London and how the wealth of promising talent from graduates every year enables new possibilties in terms of curation and also the experience of indefinite types of artwork.
Due to the success of this show, the exhibition has been extended until Januray 30th 2011 until DEBUT Contemporary is launched early next year.
Following the success of the recent Artist of the Week programme, Salon Contemporary has introduced a thrilling competition for all the budding, creative and visionary curators out there!
This Wednesday will see the return of our first ‘Curator of the Month’ winner CELINA LANGEN, who will grace Salon gallery once more to give a very special Curator’s talk.
As a result of the competition, Celina has helped to curate the Artist of the Week exhibition, a show filled with talented, contemporary artists, all winners of the Artist of the Week competition held by Salon Contemporary, with First Wednesdays as its opening night. In a recent interview Celina shared with us the excitement of being involved with the exhibition 'Who Knows Tomorrow' at the museum Hamburger Bahnhof in Berlin “Displaying contemporary African art in the German capital was not only an exciting aesthetic endeavour but also had tangible political significance“.
With such experiences behind her, the Curator’s talk on Wednesday evening will be a perfect way to meet our Curator of the month and see what interesting news, artistic approaches and possibilities she has to offer.
Despite the cold weather, four Artist of the Week winners; Akleriah, Alyona Larionova, Dragana Jurisic and Helen Gorrill had a very successful opening night at Salon Contemporary.
Helen Gorrill’s “Selling Olga”, consisting of prosthetic limbs hanging provocatively in the window, were a sure fire way to catch peoples’ attention. Akleriah, a Russian performance group with theatrical tendencies and a vast array of works ranging from dresses, hats, jewellery, and some eye catching sculptural textile pieces draped across the gallery wall. Dragana Jurisic’s beautiful photography “A Bird in the Head” welcomed you into the basement, adorning the walls with dreamy imagery, set aside from Alyona Larionova’s installation. Larionova develops two films projected onto opposing walls, engulfed by an organic, fluid curtain enveloping her space. To begin with, it appears as a tool to block out light in order to enhance the projected films when in actual fact it establishes a threshold into the environment, acting as a vertical structure predominantly consuming the space around her work as a direct message to the viewer that she presides as a single unit, away from Dragana’s illustrative photography.
Alex Mazzitelli also came along and warmed the night with his special home made eggnog in his duck man suit. Samir Ceric, the director of Salon Gallery, announced the final winner of Artist of the Week and it was… Alyona Larionova! After winning the public vote as well, she was ecstatic! Everyone had a fantastic night including the four artists’ friends and family. It was definitely one of the most dynamic previews Salon Contemporary has had. The exhibition will be on for a month so if you have missed the preview, drop by and have a browse around the amazing show. Some great photographs and films were recorded last night these will be up on our website and flickr in next few days so watch out for the space.
Photograph taken by Mark Dolman at Salon Contemporary Works by Akleriah and Helen Gorrill
After the success of the first ever Salon Contemporary’s Artist Talk, the second Artist Talk could not have gone any better! Seren’s talk started downstairs where most of her pencil and ink drawings are. She went into great details about her individual work and the audience felt very involved in Seren’s working process. Guests included this month’s Curator of the month winner Celina Langen who will be curating at Salon Contemporary in December. Everyone was ever so impressed with colors and her take on women in today’s society. Seren referred quite a few inspirations from her childhood such as her initial dislike for color purple as her mother never liked it. It was extremely interesting to hear how she first came about to produce each work, most of the time seeing old paintings from museums such as the V&A and the Tate Britain. Seren Jones’ exhibition will be up until the end of the month so if you have missed out on her Artist Talk, don’t miss out on her great show!
Last night, on Nov 3rd, an evening where London came to a stand still due to tube’s strikes, Seren Jones' bold and colourful portraits firmly stood their ground at her solo debut show at Salon Contemporary Gallery.
The space was filled with artists, magazines and collectors, amongst them was Matchbox magazine (First Wednesdays media partner), Eleonore Dethier from Sothebys, the art collector, Morgan Miller and our previous exhibitor, Jacky Tsai.
Seren reinterprets portraits of classical women with elegance, composure, strength and vulnerability. They are no longer objects of beauty, as in the past but the subject of beauty who are gazing at you. These elegant and theatrical creatures are as playful as the artist herself, which was apparent last night when Seren arrived with ruby lips and sparkling eyes, warming the room with her bubbly character.
“Gladys” and her smaller portraits were the focal points of the exhibition as their animated and captivating gazes connected with the public and Seren’s attention to detail, astonished them. Last night, Seren’s work was associated with the feminism, strength and narrative of Frida Kahlo, especially with the full length portraits, ‘Mona Lisa’, ‘Gladys’ and ‘Untitled (Spanish girl)’.
To view pictures of the evening go to: http://www.flickr.com/photos/saloncontemporary/sets/72157625193650843/
Seren (right) at her solo show at Salon Contemporary Photo by: Anais Plancoulaine
The Salon Contemporary team began curating yesterday for the current exhibition of artist Seren Jones. The talented painter delivered her stunning selection of contemporary portraits to the gallery over the weekend.
Surrounded by a mixture of delicate oil paintings and detailed pencil drawings in many shapes and sizes, we couldnt wait to start curating!
Athena Anastasiou hangs a selection of small portraits.
Sophia Victoria and Athena Anastasiou measure up.
Sanghee Kim carefully adjusts one of Jones' beautiful pieces.
Carla Nizzola plays with the height.
What a show it is going to be. Each female portrait promises an individual personality: powerful, smug, vulnerable, uncomfortable, calm, modest and honest.
The exhibition will portray a true insight to the artists core inspiration and passion.
The private view will launch the exhibition THIS WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 3rd: 6-9pm at Salon Contemporary, and will run in conjunction with West London's cultural fix, First Wednesdays.
This coming Wednesday 3rd November, as part of the First Wednesdays cultural fix, the stunning performance collective Akleriah will be taking you on a magical tour to some of the hottest and trendiest venues for art, fashion, design, music and night life! The journey will be full of music, colour, costumes, poetry and much much more.....
and it all starts HERE - at SALON CONTEMPORARY!
The tour kicks off at 7.30pm in our gallery, and will end up at the very cool, eccentric 'supperclub' around 9.30pm for an evening of cocktails and cabaret!
On October 20th Jacky Tsai shared his work and thoughts to the public at Salon Contemporary. It was a fascinating insight to his beautiful, cultural and political prints:
Last Wednesday (20th October) Salon Contemporary's current exhibiting artist Jacky Tsai held two talks at the gallery. The night was a great turn out - the audience were intrigued to hear about the rich influence of culture, politics and personal ambitions that embedded the artists work.
Jacky Tsai (left) and Jonathan Velardi
AND who did we also welcome? Artist of the Week winner Jonathan Velardi! Being a print maker himself, Jonathan came along to hear the tricks of the trade, from Mr.Tsai.
..... a future collaboration perhaps? Watch this space!
Gallery director Samir Ceric and the Salon Contemporary team want to refresh the design on our website's home page. We've had it for some time, and want something fun, edgy and eye-catching. The team have developed a competition where each month we invite artists/designers to create an alternative background for the Salon Contemporary landing page. At the end of each month, the winning design will be announced and available to view by all.
The chosen designer will have their name credited at the bottom of the web page throughout the month for all to see, creating future contacts and a developed portfolio. The winning artist/designer will also be recognised on news feeds, blogs and will receive plenty of coverage via social media.
The Salon Contemporary Team checked out Frieze Art Fair today to see what’s hot on the international art scene, and what a tasty selection there was. The girls also managed to catch a few gallerists from New York, Berlin, London and Tokyo, to exchange information about current talented artists. The marquee was buzzing with exciting art lovers from across the globe, all eager to get a feel for 2010’s talented artists.
The Salon Team from Left: Sophia Victoria, Carla Nizzola, Sanghee Kim and Athena Anastasiou
15/10/10 Salon Contemporary had to find out why Supperclub describes themselves as, "A fiest for all the senses..." and we got our answer when we went!! We were greeted by the lovely Graham and Jeremy (manager), who gave us an overview of what happens there: from chic lounge dining to live dj's to projections/art work...and finishing up with the entertainment of flamboyant singers and dancers! In supperclub...you have to let your inhibitions go and let your creative energy flow! Supperclub is part of FIRSTWEDNESDAYS so don't miss NOV 3RD when they will povide you with fine dining and cabaret for "Paris la Nuit!" (complimentary admission with First Wednesdays flyer). To check the listings for First Wednesdays go to: www.firstwednesdays.co.uk
Radio 1 DJ Sarah-Jane Crawford, the proud owner of 'Peace Sign', by the artist Jacky Tsai
Saturday morning (9/10/10) was an exciting day here at the Salon Contemporary. BBC Radio 1xtra DJ Sarah-Jane Crawford gave a huge shout out to the Salon Team and current exhibiting artist Jacky Tsai as part of her breakfast show! Sarah-Jane was a guest here at the gallery for the opening night of Tsai's first solo exhibition last Wednesday 6th October. She is now the proud owner of one of Tsai’s pieces – a first time art buy for Sarah-Jane. The DJ also enjoyed being part of the First Wednesdays event that night, in which she spoke about enthusiastically, naming it a, 'fantastic evening'.
To hear Sarah-Jane Crawford’s shout out to Jacky and the Salon team visit:
First Wednesday's was yet again a hit on the 6th of October when Jacky Tsai blew us away with his subtle balance between eastern traditional paintings and western modern art. His intricate silk satin prints and flowered skulls will be boldly contrasted with our next First Wednesday's wonder...Seren Jones.
On the 3rd of November, we are proud to present you with Seren Jone's Exclusive debut solo show! Seren is a recent Fine art graduate from Central St Martins and is loved for her female classical portraits that will hold your gaze with much strength and mystery. These ladies all have their own stories to tell and draw you in to their strange and captivating virtues. This exhibition is a must see! If you want to explore Seren's work further, check out her interview with Sophia Victoria (Assistant to Gallery Director) on: http://www.youtube.com/ArtistInterviewed.
Watch this space!
Seren Jones
'Probably Mrs Clement Edmoundes (a young Elizabeth) '
Our 7th AoW winner Jonathan Velardi's animation, 'Flamingo Parade, 2010' (see above), has been selected for the 6th Annual PIXEL POPS! exhibit, 'Urban Realities' in New Jersey and New York, USA. Flamingo Parade will be screened every Wednesday throughout the month of October in several locations around the New York metropolitan area!
Congratulations! The Salon Contemporary are very excited to have Jonathan as one of our Artist of the Week winners!
Visit jonathanvelardi.blogspot.com for updates on the exhibition and jonathanvelardi.com for more information about previous projects and works.
Artist of the Week is growing fast! We're getting more and more applicants each week - the variety and standard of work is fresh, innovative and very exciting! The Salon Contemporary are going to be creating a specific AoW page for its website. So you'll soon be able to keep up to date with our wining artists, and find out who will be shortlisted for the AoW Christmas Exhibition!
We're continuing to get a fantastic response for AoW and the standard of work keeps getting better! This weeks winner is Alyona Larionova, a talentedvideo and installation artist. Larionova combines objects and processes that are recognizable in our daily experiences in order to comment on the relations between stillness and movement, duration and immobility. These intimate and softly presented narratives are made by the artist to test the limits of the mediums she works with. Her recent works are inspired by Chinese tradition of Chinese calligraphy with water, where the process of writing becomes more important than the writing itself. Check out her videos at
DON'T miss Octobers First Wednesday 6th !
Enjoy a smorgasbord of art, fashion, music, film, food and drink in a variety of quirky venues dotted around Notting Hill. This October sees a number of creative surprises not to be forgotten.
Come and see us in the gallery space to get your hands on one of our October flyers to receive a free cocktail! You wont be disappointed.
Salon Contemporary are pleased to announce its fifth AoW winner. Internationally acclaimed artist Dragana Jurisic communicates powerful issues and meanings through her bold yet beautiful use of photography and text. Jurisic succeeds in raising awareness of current fragile issues as well as creating a nostalgia within the personal choices of scenes and imagery she chooses to photograph. Her work has an other-worldly quality, full of atmosphere and emotion, yet it focuses on the real.
...Sometimes the artist and viewer are tricked by beauty.
For more of an insight to Jurisics' work visit her website www.draganajurisic.com
Jessie Gunhammer, photographed at Salon Contemporary
Salon Contemporary are very sorry to announce the passing of Jessie Gunhammar on the 6th of September this year. Jessie, the identical twin sister of Jennie Gunhammer was captured poignantly along with Stan in the artists book of photographic work and writings entitled ‘Somewhere I Have Never Traveled, Gladly Beyond’ published in 2009, noting the lives and experiences of living with Chronic illness. We send our condolences to her relations and are saddened by such a terrible loss but are more determined than ever to continue raising awareness of the Lupus illness (which annually costs more lives than leukaemia) which cost the both sisters their lives by promoting the book and representing the both talented artists.
Next Monday Jacky Tsai is popping in to Salon Contemporary to catch up in preparation for his exciting debut at the gallery this October so we thought this would be the perfect opportunity to find out his thoughts and what he’s been up to. Look out for this Tsai exclusive coming soon to Salon TV. In the meantime you can see his profile on our website and if you have any burning questions you’d like to ask him email them in and we might put them to him.
We opened this years Salon Contemporary Summer Show tonight, after months of scouting the hot new graduate artists at degree shows across the capital. Gallery Director, Samir Ceric and the Salon Contemporary team have managed to find amazing young artists which our opening preview audience were quick to commend. The exhibition will show throughout August and September and we recommend you pop in the gallery to see the talent in it’s early stages.
Images of the preview are available on our website: www.saloncontemporary.com
Salon Contemporary meets with a concessions space in Harvey Nichols to discuss providing art content for their December 2010 launch in a similar fashion as previously produced for Wolf & Badger at Selfridges to huge success. Watch this space.
Salon Contemporary will be collaborating with a number of German curators for a group show taking place in Munich in October 2010. Exhibitors will include our very own Seren Jones, Dorothy Yoon and Sarah Maple, for what is set to be.
First Wednesdays will be launching tomorrow at Salon Contemporary from 6pm-9pm in collaboration with other local businesses in Notting Hill Gate area.
There will be amazing live performances happening at Salon Contemporary, including a surprise performance by our very own and recent Selfridges curator Nathalie Levi for Anna Ricciardi’s ‘Mermaid Performance’. The performance evokes both the horrors and glories of the English sea-side town in the reinterpretation of this myth, as a living, breathing, flirtatious, chocolate eating mermaid.
It’s the second week in and we’ve found a totally unique performance duo named Akleriah to add as Artist of The Week. Not just pretty faces, this collaborations juggle entertainment and stimulating intellectual content in their work. To apply, entrants can submit work of any medium, so what are you waiting for? Don’t miss stunning images of Akleriah on our blog.
Admiring the work of StrangMacFarlane yesterday at the Salon Summer Show 2010, Alan Yentob noted that the humorous Central Saint Martins graduate duo’s work reminded him of when he was starting out back in the 70's. StrangMacFarlane play on the unwritten etiquette and understandings that govern the gallery and tackle the pre-conceived values the viewer attaches to the art, ‘the artist and one’s self as a conscious body.’. www.strangmacfarlane.blogspot.com
Salon Contemporarys latest project has been working in conjuction with Wolf & Badger and curator Nathalie Levi, in Wolf & Badger Summer Residency at Selfridges, taking place in their Wonder Room, incorporating their the finest art, jewellery and design pieces.
Not only that, within the programme are a selection of fantastic interactive experiences from various performances that will take place in Selfridges department store on Oxford Street, varying from those of music, dance, live art and dj's as part of the three week programme of events taking place 12-31 August.
Tuesday 24th - Wednesday 25th shows the worldwide talent of Bill Aitchison, providing the rare opportunity to see his highly regarding perfomance lecture 2012, which plays upon the borders of truth and fiction in art, politics, propaganda and entertainment.
Thursday 26th Vanessa Harden, Kevin Hill and Ben Fagen collaborate to present the first stage of their beehive experimental art, where they will exhibit their beehive sculpture and video installation. Also joined bya live painting performance from Joao Noro at 11am, followed by Keira Rathbones typewriter art performance inspired by nature, people and places at 12pm.
Friday 27th consists of Keira returning to demonstrate more of her typewriter performance followed at 1pm by Steve McGarrity's Human Plinth performance that has explored the understanding idenity. To complete the evenings performances are electronic two piece Bull in a Field 8pm.
Saturday 28th performing 11am Natalie Marie Dray will demonstrate an alian Dance performance, 4pm will be a retun form McGarrity with his Human Plinth performance. The day is closed by classically trained singer Caroline Pooley who at 7pm will shock you with her beautiful huge voice.
Sunday 29th Sophie Cullinan's Worn, interactive sculpture will accompany from 11am, Anna Ricciardi and her theatrical mermaid performance. Matt Cowan will later perform at 1-1.20 jig and 1.20-4pm Dj Set, influenced by established folk customs of the modern world.
Monday 30th The Silent Awkwardstra, improvised live music and ending Tuesday 31st 6.30pm with music from an young opera quartet, featuring Sophie Roos, Tim Elliot, Kathryn Walker and Joe Thompson.
There is such an amazing selection of performances to witness within this temporary resisdency.
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