at the Saatchi Gallery from
26-29/6/2014   
www.startartfair.com
 
 
The inaugural START art fair will be held at the Saatchi Gallery in London from 26 – 29 June 2014. The fair is dedicated to supporting international galleries that are less than eight years old. The first edition will bring together exhibitors from the world’s most exciting emerging markets alongside young, cutting-edge galleries from Asia, Europe, UK and USA.
 
START was founded by the Global Eye Programme, an initiative that nurtures worldwide artistic talent, in partnership with the Saatchi Gallery. The fair's aim is to provide young galleries and artists with a platform and the support and recognition that they need to develop.
 
The fair gives exhibitors the opportunity to present their artists to a culturally engaged, international audience at a world-renowned venue. The Saatchi Gallery is celebrated for its unique vision in recognising new artistic talent and helping to launch the careers of emerging artists, an ethos central to START.
 
START offers an elegant, beautifully lit, museum standard exhibition space for the 48 exhibitors and visiting public alike to experience.
 
As part of START, the Global Eye Programme will also present Eye Zone, a curated section of the fair for artists who have participated in the Eye Programme to date. The artists will be chosen by a team of curators including Tsong-zung Chang (Director, Hanart TZ Gallery and guest professor, China Art Academy), Serenella Ciclitira (Founder, Global Eye Programme) and Nigel Hurst (Chief Executive, Saatchi Gallery)
 
START is sponsored by Prudential, which aims to support emerging talent and creativity in Asia. Prudential supports other Global Eye Programme initiatives including the Prudential Eye Awards (2014), Prudential Malaysian Eye (2014), Hong Kong Eye (2013) and Indonesian Eye (2011).
 
"The Global Eye Programme was established as a response to what we perceived as a lack of infrastructure in emerging art markets and START art fair is a continuation of this. We recognise the essential part that young galleries play in developing new artistic talent and with the launch of START, we hope to support galleries by offering them an international platform on which to show their artists in London, which has become one of the world’s most important cities for contemporary art. The timing is also crucial because late June is a busy time, with collectors travelling to London for the major art auctions. We will be introducing this extensive collector base to exhibiting galleries and their artists.”
David Ciclitira, Founder of the Global Eye Programme
 
 “The Saatchi Gallery’s role is not only to bring contemporary art wherever it is being made to the widest possible audience, but also to encourage and legitimise the making and collecting of art. START promises to provide a wonderful platform for new galleries and young artists from all over the world so we’re delighted to be hosting this exciting new initiative”.        
Nigel Hurst, Chief Executive, Saatchi Gallery
 
 “Art from Malaysia and South East Asia is developing a much stronger market internationally. The Global Eye Programme has played a crucial role in supporting this development through quality books and exhibitions that bring the world to our door. START seems to be a logical next step, and this time the Programme is bringing us to its door. What has really struck me is how welcoming the fair is to artists. I will be bringing three artists with me to the fair: Malaysian artists Chang Yoong Chia and Haffendi Anuar, and Thai artist Natee Utarit. They will have the chance to meet visitors in person, which is a fantastic opportunity.”
Richard Koh, Founder of Richard Koh Fine Art

Duke of York's HQ
King's Road
UK-London, SW3 4RY