It has been wonderful to see how our Lower VI A Level concept of ‘Catharsis’ has grown from a lesson activity into an Abbey wide community project. It is now, with great joy, we can finally confirm some exciting developments – we are also going to exhibit at the Saatchi Gallery in London during March 2022.

‘Catharsis’ encourages everyone to write/ draw their thoughts, memories and/ or emotions about the ongoing global Covid 19 pandemic. The participant is then encouraged to alter the shape of the paper to reflect their feelings. This is a cathartic exercise that is completely anonymous. Each piece of paper will unite with a mass of others. The paper is dipped and fired in porcelain paper clay to represent the fragility of the times we live in.

The Saatchi Gallery is an internationally recognised contemporary arts space that showcases the work of emerging artists. Charles Saatchi himself is widely recognised for reinventing Art, notably in the 1990s where he was patron for the YBA (Young British Artists) that are now globally recognised artists – Damien Hirst, Tracey Emin and Chris Ofili, to mention just a few.

In 2019 the Gallery became a registered charity. The mission of the gallery is to provide an innovative platform for contemporary art and culture, committed to supporting artists and rendering art accessible to all.

The class are now busy preparing for the coming event by embarking on a site trip later in December. Here they will engage in discussions with the educational team directly at the gallery and begin preparation for the exhibition.

We are beyond proud of this huge achievement. We sincerely hope that our wider Abbey community will continue to contribute to this ongoing installation.

At both Senior and Junior sites we have an opportunity for our staff, families and visitors to see some examples as well as actively participate.

Please come and be a part of Abbey history!