Saatchi Art, Saatchi Gallery and Google+ Introduce Motion Photography as an Art Form for Everyone

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 5, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- With the ubiquity of smartphones and rise in photo-sharing services, the world has recently exploded with photographers from all backgrounds who are embracing new technology to tell their stories in innovative ways.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140205/LA59366)

Motion photography has emerged as a new trend, but until recently required special tools and know-how. Now, the unique technology of Google+ allows users to automatically animate a series of still photographs and turn them into motion photography.

In recognition of the exciting potential of this new technology, Saatchi Art, the Saatchi Gallery and Google+ today announce a new prize, the Motion Photography Prize, inviting photographers all over the world to participate in a celebration of this new creative art form.

The Motion Photography Prize will recognize works in six categories and will be judged by a panel of forward-thinkers, including film director Baz Luhrmann and artists Shezad Dawood and Cindy Sherman. Winners will have their works showcased on Saatchi Art, the world's leading online art gallery for emerging artists, and in a special exhibition at the Saatchi Gallery in London which will open April 16th, with one overall winner being given the opportunity to go on the trip of a lifetime with a photographer or filmmaker of their choice.

The competition opens for submissions today - 5th February - and the first category is Landscape. A new category will be introduced week by week. All details can be found at www.saatchigallery.com/mpp.

"We are very excited to be embracing motion photography as a new art form and are looking forward to seeing how it redefines the creativity of artists and photographers all over the world, " says Rebecca Wilson, Chief Curator of Saatchi Art.

"We are thrilled to be collaborating with Google+ on an initiative that will provide a global platform for exciting new motion photography and highlight the potential of the very latest technology to encourage creativity," adds Nigel Hurst, CEO of the Saatchi Gallery.

"If a picture can tell a thousand words, motion photography can tell a whole story. We're excited about enabling anybody with a smartphone to tell their story in a new creative way," says Cristian Cussen, Head of Marketing at Google+ EMEA.

This initiative follows in the success of the Google Photography Prize, a collaboration with the Saatchi Gallery in 2012 to find the photography stars of the future, which received nearly 20,000 entries from 148 countries.

About Saatchi Art
Saatchi Art is the world's leading online art gallery, connecting people with art and artists they love. Saatchi Art offers an unparalleled selection of paintings, drawings, sculpture and photography in a range of prices, and it provides artists from around the world with an expertly curated environment in which to exhibit and sell their work. Based in Los Angeles, Saatchi Art is redefining the experience of buying and selling art by making it easy, convenient and welcoming for both collectors and artists. www.saatchiart.com

About the Saatchi Gallery
The Saatchi Gallery was founded in 1985 with the aim of bringing contemporary art to as wide an audience as possible and make it accessible by providing an innovative platform for emerging artists to show their work. Over the last four years the Saatchi Gallery has hosted ten out of the top 15 most visited exhibitions in London, according to The Art Newspaper's survey of international museum attendance, and is also ranked amongst the world's top three most liked museums on Facebook and Twitter by Museum Analytics. The Saatchi Gallery's website has become a global meeting place for people interested in contemporary art. www.saatchigallery.com

About Google+
Google+ will be celebrating its third anniversary in June this year. There are currently 540 million users actively using the features of Google+ and 1.5 billion photos are uploaded to Google+ every week. It is currently the only platform on the web that is able to analyse uploaded photos, stabilize them and turn them into motion. www.plus.google.com

News media contact:
Nicole Garton, Saatchi Art
[email protected]
+1 310.869.7797

SOURCE Saatchi Art