Serpentine Gallery

This unassuming former tea pavilion, considered an institution by contemporary art lovers, is situated in Kensington Gardens and a stone’s throw from Royal Albert Hall and Kensington Palace. The journey to the Serpentine itself is an enchanting roam through Hyde Park and past the Serpentine river. Run by the relentlessly energetic and enigmatic Julia Peyton-Jones and Hans Ulrich Obrist, the Serpentine has evolved into more than just a showcase for artists such as Bridget Riley, Ellsworth Kelly, Richard Prince and Cindy Sherman. The gallery runs diverse education programmes, seminars, exhibitions, architecture and public programmes attracting over 750,000 visitors yearly and is staging the next instalment of an innovative exhibition of Chinese artists in collaboration with the Battersea Power Station. Summer time is when the Serpentine Gallery comes alive. Aside from being a home for the arts, every summer, the gallery holds court to a summer pavilion and its annual summer party frequented by the likes of Kate Moss, Pierce Brosnan, Elle McPherson and Kiera Knightley. The pavilion is commissioned yearly by the gallery and created by a different architect each year, including Zaha Hadid, Toyo Ito, Rem Koolhas and Olafur Eliasson & Cecil Balmond’s latest collaboration. Each pavilion plays summer host to gallery talks, black-tie functions and Hans Ulrich’s 24-hour experimental marathon events. This very unique gallery thrives in building the connection between the art and its public, creating projects and events that help bridge the understanding and relationship between the two. Kensington Gardens London W1 3XA Tel: +44 207 402 6075 http://www.serpentinegallery.org

Saatchi Gallery

Exhibiting works by mostly new and unknown artists, the Saatchi gallery is seen by many as a launching pad for fresh faces entering the scene. Opened by Charles Saatchi, a former advertising executive, the gallery was originally established to showcase his extensive art collection. When Saatchi first launched his gallery in 1985, contemporary art only attracted a select audience. Twenty years later, the Saatchi gallery welcomes over 600,000 visitors a year and is perhaps the largest private gallery of contemporary art in the world. Moving from the grandiose South Bank location to Chelsea’s equally expansive Duke of York’s HQ which opens this summer, the gallery presents both British and international artists, both the established as well as the unseen, introducing novel and revolutionary art that has influenced the way contemporary art is viewed in Britain. Saatchi cemented his reputation in the contemporary scene as a patron to Damien Hirst, Tracey Emin and other Young British Artists. The diverse range of artists shown at the gallery, which also include Julian Schnabel, Chris Ofili on its list of luminaries, have never failed to bring forth media controversy due to the rebellious nature and content of the pieces and Saatchi’s unbowing stance to protect the freedom of expression for the artists he represents. The Saatchi gallery thrives on the unfamiliar, the unidentified, the unseen and unheard of – of the new forms of art being born every day. It is a gallery that understands how the power of debate can raise the public’s consciousness of what contemporary art means to them as individuals. True to character, this year Saatchi is taking yet another huge risk and leap of faith by opening his new Chelsea gallery with The Revolution Continues: New Chinese Art, an exhibition of works by contemporary Chinese artists whose names would not be recognized by the public. This year, Saatchi aims to reach a wider audience through the elimination of entry fees that was previously implemented in his South Bank gallery. Saatchi Gallery Duke of York’s Headquarters Kings Road London SW3 4SD http://www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk

What DO women want? Did Mel Gibson really have it figured out? We are too complex to be explained by our readable thoughts only. After all, women are the second reason shrinks are so popular now (the first being actors).

Women want the handsome, wealthy, eligible, non-sociopathic version of the male species. We’re talking about 20th century cosmopolitan females with a tendency towards ambitious aggression here.

In Singapore, the criteria for bachelors are categorized in the 5 Cs: Condo, Cash, Credit Card, Car and Career. The poor Singaporean male who does not have these materialistic qualities won’t be thrown a first glance. Notice how looks do not matter in the equation. The country’s infamous SPGs (Sarong Party Girls) even have a book named after them, guiding them in their search for the right expatriate bachelor who pops onto shore.

In New York, there is the Candace Bushnell heroine - Carrie, whose endless search for Mr. Right landed her with the New York City version: Mr. Big. He is rich, eligible, handsome, good in bed and a “Toxic Bachelor”: unappreciative, self-centred and allergic to commitment. What else can we expect from Wall Street yuppies who can jump into bed with the next “It” girl if he hits jackpot during trading hours? What all these glamorous creatures strutting around Madison Avenue in their Manolo Blahniks really want is a husband. Their glossy masks are hiding the jealousy for their homey counterparts residing in New Jersey or the Hamptons who throw baby showers and have a secured bank account, courtesy of their mates.

Move onto to London, a city New Yorkers resign to in search of wedding bells if they are desperate enough. It’s all about fighting the biological time bomb that resides in all females. An animal instinct that creates a sense of desperation to actually mate the conventional way despite being in the age where pre-marital sex and out-of-wedlock urchins reign. Enter Bridget Jones, Helen Fielding’s diarist. Bridget hangs precariously in the balance between the “I am woman, hear me roar” independence spurred on by the feminist wiles of Steinem and Wolf, and the pathetic desire of living the fairy tale. She is still clinging to fairy tales of Prince Charming and happy endings.

Notice how Disney never elaborates on how Sleeping Beauty or Cinderella or Bambi lived “happily ever after”? If left to the modern woman’s imagination, they would be divorced and paying alimony or making sure Prince signed the pre-nup.

In these hard times, contemporary Cinderella does the pursuing, in subtle ways. She needs constant upkeep, costing her about 150 quid pcm according to Florence Collins, protagonist of Tama Janowitz’s “A Certain Age”. Her hair needs to be coloured or permed or straightened or blown, her nails need to be manicured and polished in the latest colours, her body requires yoga or Tae-Bo or StairMaster to be toned, her skin is pampered by Aveda or Guerlain or Bliss spas, her imperfections corrected by cosmetic surgery and MAC or Estée Lauder, she suffers backaches and blisters by wearing the season’s stilettos or Sabrina heels, her daily grub consists of salad with no dressing or bacon bits to be able to fit into Halston sheaths and Henri Bendel capris. She is more plucked and preened than a prize-winning poodle. She is on display in the urban meat market.

Cinderella plays the multiple role of fisherwoman and bait, waiting to hook the “ideal” mate. Personality may count, but in the cruel light of the city, a woman’s “façade is her property” as Florence puts it. There are books and more books on self-improvement, getting what you want and finding Mr Right. They range from Bobbi Brown’s Make-up book to Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus to the cult classic - The Rules. The fact that these books are still best-sellers in the female market shows that the feminists failed in their attempt to quell the innate desire to mate, no matter how many females are running for presidency or a seat in the House of Lords. Women are still searching for clues for how to fall in love, or more likely, how not to fail in love.

published online at Petley Fine Art

The images of Saied’s paintings hold a hushed but distinct power. There is a story about to unfold in every painting…in every interior, every portrait, every landscape. An empty, open door leading into a hallway…a man clasping piano sheets to his chest…a skull placed next to a burnt out candle.Each scene is as compelling as the next with its sense of mystery and other-worldliness. His moonlit villages and shadowy interiors may seem to hold a certain darkness to it but it is his very interpretation of that darkness itself that evokes a feeling of calm. Everything is still…the wind has just died down in the French village…the woman is paused at the doorway…the geisha just about to place a pin in her bun…the couple taking a quiet moment. Saied’s own intrigue lies in his uncanny ability to capture all the pauses, all the intermissions of everyday life, all the serene moments in time.

published online at Petley Fine Art

Neil holds the magic touch of pastel. Using this medium, he has carved a niche for himself by concentrating on his talent for drawing animals…dogs and horses, in particular. Being a Royal Artist, Neil often has the opportunity to surround himself and draw royal horses and hounds, polo players and Etonians. Working principally in pastel, he captures the innermost character of the creatures we love…from the gleaming sheen of a horse’s coat being ridden by splendidly uniformed officers of the R.H.A in Hyde Park to endearing puppies piled on top of each other…fumbling…taking comfort in each other’s company. Neil’s work brings delight to the eye by emphasizing the charm of day-to-day existence…outstretched women with pink towels wrapped around their heads…nudes bathing in rock-pools…gypsies breaking fast by the campfire. But out of all his talents, it is Neil’s gift for bringing animals to life through their eyes, from the forlorn look of a puppy to the intense glare of wild mares being rounded up, that sets him apart.

published online at Petley Fine Art

With Peter’s work, each painting has a tale to tell…be it a young girl with daydreamer’s eyes holding a polka-dotted umbrella or a crowd of summer gatherers admiring the Fontana Di Trevi sculptures in Rome. Over the past year, his paintings has taken a leap from romantic shadows into natural light…making exquisite use of morning rays coming through a garden window or the radiance of a yellow silk dress. Each image more arresting than the next with it’s play on light and soft colours and distinct detail.

Whether it be a scene captured of Venice or Rome or within his own studio, Peter’s creations can only be described as soothingly elegant. Here is an artist who knows beauty and how to capture it…from women draping themselves with silk kimonos and pearls to rare scenes of contemplative Venice captured in falling snow.

published online at Petley Fine Art

A master of powerful brushstrokes, Edward Beale is fearless in his use of paint. A sure and steady grip of the paintbrush allows him to confidently recreate images with paint so thick and layered that it leaps out from the canvas. This year, he has incorporated still-lives and glorious nudes in his exhibition. By interpreting his objects in the unique manner with which he paints, Beale makes them his own. This is particularly true of his flowers, petals come to life in swirling patterns and vibrant colours, appearing to move in the wind. No matter what he paints, one thing is for certain, Edward Beale is a painter that brings motion and life into his art.

Minutes shy of 10:30, the last call for Eurostar Paris-London resonates through the compartments. Outside, the spring sky fills with impending rain. Coats and luggage accumulate in the narrow alleyway.

Clad in a black leather jacket over his kurta, Baluji Shrivastav squeezes past and sits down beside me, folding a silver stick. With a handful of Indian classical records to his name, the sitar player hailed by the Times as “a virtuoso instrumentalist” was on his way to the Gondoana Festival. This evening, he will be performing among other renowned musicians in this world beat concert held in Hackney. Baluji is no stranger to live performances, a prodigy who made his concert debut at the age of six.

But the instrument that made him famous was the sitar. Currently he is a much in demand session player who has recorded with the likes of Annie Lenox, Paul McCartney, George Michael and Boy George. He jokes, “I didn’t even know who Boy George was. I asked my wife why a child named George wanted to record with me and she just laughed.”

A far cry from his humble beginnings in the village of Usmanpur in Goa where he was blinded in his infancy, a victim of his country’s poverty. Baluji’s musical talent was nurtured at the Ajmer Blind School where he took up the sitar. He was doing a stint as a Professor of Music at a college in Agra when he was invited to teach in France by a student eager to learn the instrument. It is a tradition for the instrument to be taught using the old Indian gukurul system, when a student lives with his teacher or guru for the duration of their training.

But due to a few unfortunate incidents, Baluji ended up a squatter in Paris. “I was never in any bad situations though when I have the sitar with me,” he says, reflecting on lodging offers due to his instrument.

Once a man interested in Baluji’s sitar even approached him with a job offer. “He took me to a noisy, crowded place with a really distinct smell and told me to play…it turned out to be a Metro station! I wasn’t expecting to be a beggar,” he exclaimed.

His perseverance paid off when calls began coming in for gigs. It was also in France where he met his wife, a jazz singer from the UK, which saw him shift his talents across the English Channel. “I am not an adventurous man, but adventure seems to find me instead,” he says.

Sixteen years later, Baluji leans back on his coach seat and smiles through his sunglasses. “We must be on English ground. Bumpy rails.”