Bowie's Favourite Saatchi Piece Is A Pile Of Rubbish!

Silhouettes and shadows, watch the revolution…

As Bowieart told us a few days ago, this morning’s Observer carries with it a guide to the new Saatchi Gallery which has relocated to County Hall on London’s South Bank. The guide is full of fascinating facts and information, and it is littered (pun intended) throughout with the thoughts of various art world luminaries on their favourite piece of work in Saatchi?s collection.

David Bowie chose a work by two of my own very favourite British artists, The Undesirables by Tim Noble and Sue Webster. Here’s what he had to say about the piece:

I suppose the first question is, ‘Is it still worth £50,000 if the light’s off?’ The world of shadows has long been a fearful fascination to me. In this piece, the transformation of the banal into the representation of some sort of tranquillity is really touching. The nostalgic ‘Uncle Frank makes hand shadows on the wall’ quality is deceptive. Both the choice of materials – anarchistic – and the flirtation with a mythic-self illuminate pointedly the moral and aesthetic vacuum facing many artists. But most of all, it’s enchanting. © David Bowie 2003

If you like the look of The Undesirables, you should check out similarly-themed and equally enchanting works by the pair such as British Wildlife, Instant Gratification and Miss Understood & Mr Meanor.

The new Saatchi Gallery really is worth a visit if you’re in the area. The more opulent surroundings of County Hall (as compared to the starkness of the old Saatchi Gallery) do lend a different feel to some of the pieces, particularly Richard Wilson’s 20:50, which is constructed of steel and highly reflective used sump oil. The current Damien Hirst exhibition runs through to August 31st 2003. Go here for visitor information.