Saatchi Gallery 2026

Created for the Saatchi Gallery's sixth collaboration with the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, the 2026 design brings together contemporary art, thoughtful planting and public participation. The project is supported by ING, whose commitment to advancing sustainable practice and supporting cultural initiatives reflects a shared belief in the value of nature, creativity and collective responsibility.

Guests are invited to venture down the garden path into a surreal environment of interactive, anthropomorphic tree-like structures that hug the space. As visitors push the sculptures into motion, they trigger a joyful, spiralling dance that gradually settles into a playful, slapstick wobble as momentum slows. The garden celebrates the simple pleasure of gathering together outdoors, such as in a park or meadow, and the positive effect nature can have on us.

Lucy Gregory was inspired by the energy and rhythm of Matisse's The Dance, a scene depicting figures entirely lost in the moment within the landscape. She translates the painting's iconic arabesque into a vibrant, abstract spinning choreography in steel. In Matisse's composition, two hands have slipped apart, creating a subtle tension within the circle; here, Lucy invites the public to close the circle that Matisse left open by physically reconnecting the cartoon-like hands, reactivating the dance through touch.

The motif of the circle underpins the entire garden. The path twists, foliage unfolds and sculptural forms reveal themselves in a sense of child-like discovery. The sculptural arms envelop, guide and usher visitors through the space. As visitors glide through greenery, they recall the universal memory of walking through a meadow, trailing fingers through long grasses.

Lucy explains, "Roundness operates conceptually as well as physically, interweaving themes of community, interconnection with nature and the body in the landscape." The recent artist's residency she took part in, entitled Body and Place, explored the body within natural settings through life drawing outdoors and through movement. "These studies became a melting pot of ideas for new kinetic figurative works situated directly in the landscape."

Lucy's practice upturns the traditional 'look, don't touch' mentality, instead encouraging play and curiosity through interaction with the artworks. The viewer becomes the engine, activator and performer, intertwined with the work itself, as they bring the sculptures to life through participation and touch.  

Inspired by mechanical toys, Victorian automatons and early animation devices, she constructs large-scale figurative 'kinetic collages', where abstracted 'cutouts' or black and white imagery are mounted on engineered steel frames. The forms move through spinning axles, swinging pendulums and subtle shifts in balance to emphasise a certain gesture, action or movement and to re-imagine the human form in an often humorous collision of bodies and machines.

Naomi Ferrett-Cohens planting design brings warmth and vibrancy to the space, with a colourful palette that complements the bold backdrop. An award-winning designer working across Sussex, Surrey and London, she is known for creating naturalistic gardens with strong structure and clarity. Here, her scheme ensures that sculpture and planting sit in dynamic balance, each heightening the presence of the other.