Will Collect at the Saatchi Gallery bring craft to a wider audience?

The Crafts Council launched Collect in 2004 at the V&A as an art fair exclusively for contemporary craft objects. The annual event sees over 40 international galleries showcase collectable decorative and applied art objects. This year Collect will run from the 14th to the 17th of May but it will be housed in a new venue: The Saatchi Gallery.
The Saatchi Gallery has a well established reputation for exhibiting avant-guard fine art but will this be a suitable place to showcase contemporary craft? Will this choice of venue help the fine art world take the applied arts more seriously?




Images show:
1. ‘White Pot’ (30×33×30cm) by Christian Burchard; Gallery: Sarah Myerscough Fine Art; Photo: Christian Burchard, 2006
2. Saatchi Gallery Interior
3. 'Untitled’ (7×7cm) by Kazumi Nagano; Gallery: Alternatives Gallery; Photo: Hitoshi Nishiyama, 2008
4. Saatchi Gallery Exterior