19/9/2024
This September, London Art Collective (LAC) had the honour of presenting its annual large-scale exhibition at Saatchi Gallery as part of the 22nd London Design Festival. Titled “ART COLLECTIVE: From the One to the Many”, the exhibition ran from 17th to 19th September 2024. Curated by LAC’s Chief Curator Nelson Qin and Guest Curator Joe Richards, the show explored the intricate relationship between individual creativity and collective artistic practices.
“ART COLLECTIVE: From the One to the Many” presented around 90 works by 50 artists from 16 countries. The title of the exhibition “ART COLLECTIVE: From the One to the Many” was inspired by the collaborative technique known as Exquisite Corpse. It combines various forms of art and cultural influences, exploring how these elements interact to create something new and unexpected. Moving between the four exhibition halls, the audience encountered different animated bestiaries in artworks and the exhibition’s visual identities, which both visually and conceptually symbolise the intersection of individual creativity and collective imagination. By attributing unique features to these animals, they represent a wide range of artistic disciplines, genres, races, and national identities.
The contemporary art forum and opening was held on 18th September from 2 to 6 pm. As part of the exhibition ART COLLECTIVE: From the One to Many at the Saatchi Gallery, this forum explored the concept of freedom as it appears across different dimensions of the art world. Rooted in the surrealist idea of "psychiatric autonomy", it examined how the notion of freedom has evolved and whether it remains achievable in contemporary artistic practice. The guest speakers included Nelson Qin (chief curator of the London Art Collective), Joe Richards (guest curator of ART COLLECTIVE: From the One to the Many), Suzanne Clements (Hopper Prize-winning artist), and Zongbo Jiang (visual artist featured in Vogue).
The works presented in “ART COLLECTIVE: From the One to the Many” bridged the realms of individual and collective creation, offering a fresh perspective on collaboration in contemporary art. The exhibition became one of the standout highlights of the 2024 London Design Festival, inviting audiences to re-examine the dynamics of artistic freedom and community. By breaking down the boundaries between personal expression and collective vision, the exhibition uncovered shared creative goals across a spectrum of global contexts, fostering new connections and a deeper understanding of the power of collective artistic practice.
Alessandra Borba, Alessandro Turner, Andrea Honsberg, Aziah Lusala, Betty C Fan, Edgar Racy, Elina Yumasheva, Ellie Davies, Ellie Niblock, Emily Lazerwitz, EmmanuelBarcilon, Gutong Chen, Hoi Yu Karen Ge, Hong Pan, Ivana Vozelj, Jessica WongKar Yee, Jiachen Wang, Jiang Dingchen, Jichi Zhang, Jing Wu, Joice Cheung, JoséCastiella, Katie Ko, Keita Miyazaki, Le Trang, Lin Li, Liu Zhanyu, Luyao Chen, Max Shoroye, Muchen Zhang, Mudai, Ningxin Zhang, Qin Pan, Qinning Hu, Riccardo Guarneri, Shaolin Zhong, Shijia Song, Sid and Jim, Suleyman Wellings-Longmore, Tina Jane Hatton-Gore, Winnie Chen, Xiang Zhai, Xiao Deng, Xiaoxuan Wang, XinyuJiang, Xiyan Chen, Xingyue Guo, Saiyuan Li, Yinzhe Qu, Xuanjun Ke, Xueying Ren, Yang II, Yi Chen, Yifan Liu, Yilun Li (Sasa), Yuan Zhuang, Yuwei Li, ZhaojuanSun, Ziting Gao, Ziyi Wang, Chenshuo Xu.
The exhibition included a specially commissioned series from the ExquisiteCorpse public programme. These life-size “exquisite corpse” drawings were madein collaboration between The Graduate Diploma programme, Fashion MA, and Painting MA students from The Royal College of Art.
Alma Stritt, Andrea Honsberg, Anthony Bennett, Aziah Lusala, Chioma Onwuzulike,Chrysa Kanari, Cieszymir Bylina, Claire Kim, Dannielle Hodson, Eva Yates, IgorPrato Luna, Javiera Decap, Jean Huang, Raiheth Rawla, Toby Rainbird Webb., TomCaley, Xinjian Ruan.
As part of the exhibition ART COLLECTIVE: From the One to Many atthe Saatchi Gallery, this forum explored the concept of freedom as it manifestsacross various facets of the art world. The exhibition is inspired by theSurrealist practice of Exquisite Corpse, a collaborative method of creationthat foregrounds the collective unconscious and the shared autonomy of themind. Grounded in the Surrealist concept of “psychiatric autonomy”, the forumexamined how the notion of freedom continues to evolve and whether it remainsachievable in contemporary artistic practice.
Curators: Nelson Qin, Joe Richards
Assistant Curators: Lanzhi Zhang, Xuechen Wang, Yan Xie