Floating art gallery on the Thames showcases works by
dynamic young artists of the future
FloatArt London hosts art fair and launches new art award on
Mississippi-style paddle steamer as part of the Mayor’s Thames Festival 2013
London, UK (14 and 15 Sept 2013): Art takes to the water this September when FloatArt
London showcases exciting works by emerging artists and launches a new art award on a
Mississppi-style paddle steamer moored on the Thames in central London.
Celebrating the best of creative talent from the UK’s art colleges, the show will be staged on
The Dixie Queen at Shad Thames over the weekend of 14 and 15 September.
Held in association with this year’s Mayor’s Thames Festival, this fresh and dynamic art
event on the Thames will ‘float’ the work of more than 50 graduate artists past audiences
over the paddle steamer’s three floors.
Visitors will also have a chance to influence the career of one raw talent by voting in the
inaugural FloatArt London Award. One lucky graduate will win a grant towards studio costs
for a year and a commercial show in an established London exhibition space. The 2013
FloatArtist will be announced aboard The Dixie Queen on Sunday evening, 15 September.
Davide Mengoli, Co-founder, FloatArt, says: “FloatArt has a focus on creativity as a
blossoming resource from the UK. We are showcasing new talent and the movements within
contemporary art as they are now.”
Adrian Evans, Director, Mayor’s Thames Festival, says: “We are delighted FloatArt London is
staging this show and amazing new art award in association us. Through it, people will have
a chance to experience art and the river in a very different way, a key aim of the new-look
Mayor’s Thames Festival which takes place over 10 days this year instead of a single
weekend.” (6-15 Sept)
FloatArt London on The Dixie Queen, Butler’s Wharf Pier, is open Saturday, 14 September
(10am-9pm) and Sunday, 15 September (10am-6pm). The FloatArt Award ceremony takes
place on the Sunday. (6.30pm-8.30pm)
Tickets at £10 each (1 ticket admits two people) are on sale now at 020 7703 8396.
www.floatart.co.uk
Media Queries: Daisy Lukas, FloatArt London m. 07921 569 871 e. press@floatart.co.uk
Notes for Editors
About FloatArt: Co-founders Davide Mengoli and Anand Saggar are passionate art collectors who have long felt
there should be a platform to showcase the nation’s fresh artistic makers in contemporary arts practice. London's
river Thames, a historical source of industry and trade, is a living metaphor for the artistic energy thriving in the
capital. BA and MA graduates are at a pivotal point in the first season after graduation. The artists are ready to
trade having completed their formal training, set to surge into the global art market without any focused means
of sharing their hopes and dreams in an accessible platform. FloatArt believes there is great promise, talent and
indeed economic potential in contemporary art and have therefore developed FloatArt as an altruistic program
of installations and exhibitions available to everyone. www.floatart.co.uk
About Davide Mengoli: Davide established GX Gallery in the historic Camberwell arts district in 2001. It
specialises in recognised artists with a focus on contemporary abstract and figurative styles. Since 2007, he has
been holding a successful annual exhibition for selected graduates. Davide is a tri-lingual entrepreneur with a
passion for start-ups.
About Anand Saggar: Anand is a clinical geneticist at St George’s Hospital and Chair of its arts committee. For a
decade he has been at the forefront of exhibiting artwork in hospitals. Anand is a member of The Hayward
Gallery and an avid art collector.
About the Mayor’s Thames Festival: The Mayor’s Thames Festival is London’s only river-focused multi-arts
festival. One of the largest of its kind in the world, it is delivered by the Thames Festival Trust, a not-for-profit
charitable trust with an independent board of trustees. Via its year-round learning and participation programme,
the Trust works with over 120 schools across London and internationally, engaging over 9,000 young people each
year. The Trust is also a founding member of river//cities, an international platform that aims to increase the
impact of culture on urban waterfronts and waterways. The festival is funded through a combination of support
from the Mayor of London, Arts Council England and private sponsorship. The New Look Festival: Taking place
this year from 6-15 September 2013, the Mayor’s Thames Festival undergoes an exciting transformation this
year, extending from a concentrated weekend of riverside animations to a season of bespoke events spanning
ten days. Over the years to come, it will be initiating and programming more and more activities both up- and
down-river from the area it has historically occupied between Westminster Bridge and Tower Bridge. There will
be an evolution in its character too, as the festival goes back to source and becomes more focused on events
inspired by the Thames and water-related issues. Launching modestly in 2013, and growing in stature thereafter,
the festival aspires to feature extraordinary new creative commissions, amazing river events, incentives to get
people on to the river, and many new activities to connect, involve and inspire people with London’s greatest
natural asset. www.thamesfestival.org The Mayor’s Thames Festival – Celebrating London’s River