This Bob Marley Exhibition Is In London For 10 Weeks Only

By Will Noble Last edited 28 months ago

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Last Updated 16 January 2022

Will Noble This Bob Marley Exhibition Is In London For 10 Weeks Only

bob marley plays football on a very muddy pitch — Marley and his Wailers bandmates loved to play football in Battersea Park. Image: Adrian Boot.

The legacy of legendary reggae artist Bob Marley is celebrated in an exhibition, debuting in London this February.

Bob Marley - One Love Experience opens at Saatchi Gallery on 2 February — exploring the genius of the late Jamaican musician, through his music, memorabilia, fan art and previously unseen photos.

bob marley in a denim shirt looking serious — London was a second home to Marley, who lived and recorded here in the mid 1970s. Image: Adrian Boot.

As with previous Saatchi Gallery shows, like 2016's Rolling Stones 'Exhibitionism', 'multisensory' experiences are the name of the game, with a 'Soul Shakedown Studio', where you don headphones and groove to Marley's music with a silent disco; the 'Concrete Jungle Street Art Expo', which takes you 'backstage' at a gig before revealing fan art; and the 'One Love Forest', which we're told evokes the scents and sounds of a Jamaican forest.

Londoners will be interested to learn more about Marley's strong connections with this city: he fled here in 1976 following an attempt on his life, and lived for a while at 42 Oakley Street in Chelsea with his band the Wailers (the address is just 15 minutes from where the exhibition's being held.) It's at this time that they recorded the album Exodus, featuring the tracks Jamming, Three Little Birds and One Love.

a blue plaque on the front of the chelsea townhouse where marley lived and recorded in 1977 — Bob Marley lived down the road from where the exhibition's being held. Image: English Heritage.

The singer-songwriter could also often be spotted playing football in Battersea Park with his bandmates, before they went to the studio to record late into the night.

Debuting at Saatchi Gallery, the show is in town for just 10 weeks, before touring elsewhere.

Bob Marley - One Love Experience, Saatchi Gallery, tickets from £19.80, 2 February-18 April 2022

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