Saatchi’s ‘Flowers’ exhibition blooms on Sloane Street for Summer
Bespoke botanical artworks commissioned to mark its transformation into a ‘green boulevard’
A high-summer celebration of colour and creativity marks Sloane Street’s elegant new look, along with a spate of new luxury openings. Through a partnership with Cadogan and the Saatchi Gallery, British artists Sophie Mess and Faye Bridgwater have created a vibrant summer welcome for visitors and locals to one of London’s best known luxury destinations.
Both artists are currently featured in the Saatchi Gallery’s blockbuster ‘Flowers – Flora in Contemporary Art & Culture’ exhibition, open now until the end of August. A multi-sensory celebration of flowers in art, fashion, music, and culture—featuring over 500 dazzling artworks and breathtaking immersive installations over two floors of the Gallery and across nine distinct rooms, each one dedicated to the profound and varied ways flowers have influenced art, design, fashion, and pop culture.
A two-minute walk from the Gallery, along Sloane Street, flowers run riot across windows and street furniture, transformed in a commission with British street artist Sophie Mess who is known for vibrant, bold, floral artwork that radiates with energy. These multi-dimensional ‘art gallery’ windows take inspiration from Chelsea’s botanical heritage and Sloane Street’s new planting scheme.
The full 1km length of the street is also dressed with 35 striking lamp-post banners featuring artwork by Faye Bridgwater, recognised for her expressive, abstract landscapes, florals and obsession with saturated colour, creating art that’s as emotionally charged as it is visually uplifting. Bridgwater comments, “I wanted to capture and share a sense of happiness and freedom. It’s so exciting to see my artwork, bursting with bold florals, lining Sloane Street like a joyful celebration. While painting them, I kept thinking about that magical feeling when you’re out with your friends, completely in full bloom on the dance floor, arms in the air, utterly happy and alive.”
Sloane Street has recently completed a £46million transformation into an elegant green boulevard, with a masterplan by John McAslan and landscaping led by multiple Chelsea Flower Show Gold-winning Andy Sturgeon. The makeover has not just led to it competing harder among the world’s best luxury destinations, but contributed substantially to owner Cadogan’s sustainability objectives, with the significant new treescape and planting leading to a huge increase in Biodiversity Net Gain (+175%) and urban greening (+17%). The transformation has already welcomed a spate of new openings including British brand Temperley London, a spectacular new townhouse from Valentino, a new UK flagship for luxury design and fragrance brand L’Objet and significantly upsized new stores for Brunello Cucinelli, Dior, Bottega Venetta and Saint Laurent. Upcoming openings before the end of the year include Erdem, Zimmerman and Toteme, further elevating its status as one of the world’s premier luxury destinations.
‘Flowers’ is open at Saatchi Gallery until 31 August. Book tickets from £10 here
View further information on Sloane Street and upcoming news and events at sloanestreet.co.uk / @sloanestreetsw1