The Saatchi Gallery has been transformed into a bank heist crime scene by artist Lucy Sparrow.
Sparrow and her team of assistants mocked up a high security vault in the Sloane Square gallery and filled it with thousands of hand-sewn bank notes and luxury watches made from felt, lycra gold bars and felt Old Master paintings.
There is also a get-away van, loaded up with loot, and a Vauxhall Astra covered in hand-made police markings with flashing blue lights on top bought from a car boot fair for £20.
‘The Billion Dollar Robbery’ at @start.art.global at @saatchi_gallery opens tomorrow. Swing past and buy felt money with real money. You can also buy on my website from tomorrow lunchtime #billiondollarrobbery #lucysparrow #art #saatchigallery #startartfair #friezeweek pic.twitter.com/3dlx0SwRR0
— Lucy Sparrow (@sewyoursoul) October 12, 2021
Sparrow, whose previous shows include a supermarket and a New York delicatessen all made out of felt, said the new Billion Dollar Robbery show is partly “a very affectionate poke” at the money in the art world.
She said: “It’s the Frieze art fair at the moment and millions of billions of pounds are going to be spent this week and what’s the best way to highlight it?
“Also you get to see the 1 per cent that came out of the pandemic better off or in a stronger position than the were and its a massive contrast with the 99 per cent.”
The show runs for the rest of this week.
