I’m not a selfie lover, mainly because I’m awful at taking them but, no matter what your opinions are, there’s pretty much no getting away from selfies! An instantaneous form of “self-portraiture”, selfies are now “an integral part of image-making in the twenty-first century”. Selfies are art. Really, I hear you say? Don’t worry, that’s what I thought initially!
The ‘From Selfie to Self-Expression’ exhibition at the Saatchi Gallery (open until 30 May) sets the scene by exploring the history and evolution of a selfie – from the self-portraits of Old Masters like Velazquez, Rembrandt and Kahlo to the modern-day posing of celebrities and just us normal folk!
To my surprise, this exhibition, the world’s first of its kind, was strangely captivating, unusually interesting and very engaging. I particularly loved the various interactive installations and the homage to amateur photography – you come away with a sense that all you need is a camera phone and you can start creating! 
The use of mobile phones in this exhibition was genius, allowing visitors to ‘like’ paintings displayed on large screens. Frida Kahlo was popular!
Despite the light hearted nature of the content, the exhibition is certainly cerebral and had me scratching my head on a few occasions – success for any artist I think, if a viewer can’t fully decide what a piece of art stands for or means!
One of my favourite rooms was one where hundreds of selfies of normal people were displayed on large screens that covered all walls, a strangely intimate experience. 
The ‘pom pom mirror’ by Daniel Rozin was fascinating , creating silhouettes that mirrored your movements.
The CCTV room, a Rafael Lozano-Hemmer installation, was a bit too ‘big brother’ for me, with live cameras following all your movements, but provocative nonetheless! Overall, a really interesting exhibition and the best thing about it is it’s free! Who said nothing comes for free?! With only three weeks to go , this is a perfect way to spend an afternoon.
And, while you’re at it, why not try out one of the delicious eateries that line the King’s Road? This time around, I headed to Chicama, a seafood restaurant with a menu inspired by the coastal food of Peru.
The seafood is fresh and delivered from Cornwall on a daily basis and the vegetable dishes are creative and unusual (in a good way!). I think I loved everything except for the octopus which was just a little bit on the slimy side! Other than that, I would recommend this place – an exotic restaurant, with a chilled out vibe and creativity oozing through.
Zohra's Rose: Lifestyle & Travel 