Richard Phillips for Paddle8

Matchmaking art stars with collectors, new digital platform Paddle8 teams up with high-profile galleries to mount online exhibitions devoid of geographical constraints. The site’s inaugural group show, Saturation, presents work by such heavy-hitters as Cerith Wyn Evans, Roe Ethridge and pop maestro Richard Phillips, who opened his studio for the images above. Phillips, who is represented by the Gagosian and White Cube, will show his pastel and gouache drawing “II Esther,” which sees model Gemma Ward stand in for the Old Testament queen. “The idea came from James Frey asking me to create an illuminated manuscript for his new book, The Final Testament of the Holy Bible," he says. Saturation is curated by director and partner Hikari Yokoyama, who co-conceived Paddle8 in 2009 with Alexander Gilkes, then marketing director for auction house Phillips de Pury & Co., and Delhi-born entrepreneur Aditya Julka. Upcoming Paddle8 curators include Glenn O’Brien and an Academy Award-winning actor. “Our curators represent a range of individuals from the worlds of art, film, literature and architecture, each with valid viewpoint on what is relevant, but who are not necessarily art professionals,” Yokoyama explains.