We visited a lot of galleries and museums in London, and one of the finest is the infamous Saatchi Gallery.  It just so happens that this is the only completely free-entry contemporary art museum of its size in the entire world.  So what does this mean for art lovers like ourselves?  Do we get to indulge in monumental works by world famous AND emerging artists side-by-side AND hang out in an insanely beautiful exhibition space AND we get in for free???  Yes, yes, yes, and yes!

The Saatchi Gallery has been defining and redefining the way we encounter contemporary art for 25 years, and we spent an afternoon exploring its two new exhibitions: Dead: A Celebration of Mortality and Pangea II: New Art From Africa and Latin America.

^^^I am particularly psyched about the Dead show; imagine my excitement upon seeing advertisements throughout the city depicting a schoolboy playing leapfrog in a graveyard…  Yes!  I’m so into it!  That kid can play on my grave anytime!

^^^One of my favorite pieces by Terence Koh, The Camel was God, the Camel was Shot.

The Pangea II show is equally amazing; highlighting marginalized artists from Africa and Latin America.

^^^Everything Must Go installation by Jean-François Boclé featuring 97,000 blue plastic bags.

^^^Richard Wilson, 20:50.  This permanent installation floods the bottom level of the gallery with used sump seed oil.  The distinct smell of the oil permeates the entire floor!

The gallery is located at Duke Of York’s HQ, King’s Rd, London SW3 4RY.  We took the tube to Sloane Square and it is a 5 minute walk from there.  After closing we wandered through the pristine surrounding neighborhood of Chelsea, with it’s rock-n-roll turned business reputation. This neighborhood, made famous as the stomping ground for 1960s artists and musicians like The Beatles and The Rolling Stones has grown up into a posh neighborhood, full of beautiful homes, fancy shops, restaurants and business men in sleek suits.