£98K raised! We are delighted that our annual Winter Auction has raised £98K for the Hepatitis C Trust (@hepatitisctrust)!
A massive thank you to Dreweatts (@dreweatts1759) for hosting our auction and to the entire team at Gathering (@gathering.london) for hosting our Private View!
A heartfelt thank you goes to our six guest curators for their wonderful curation: Ell Pennick (@elliepennick), Verity Babbs (@veritybabbsart), Ed Cross (@edcrossfineart), Millie Foster (@milliejasonfoster), Katherine Kittoe (@kittoecontemporarylimited) and Frankie Shea (@frankieshea).
Our biggest thank you goes to the incredible and generous artists who have donated their artwork, without whom none of this would be possible.
The proceeds from this auction will go towards The Hepatitis C Trust’s unfunded helpline, a vital resource for the many thousands of people who received infected blood or blood products.
]]>The Private View for our annual Winter Auction will be held at contemporary London gallery, Gathering. We sat down with Chris Aldgate, the director of Gathering, to discuss his career in the art world, his favourite pieces in the auction, and the upcoming projects at the gallery.
]]>Following a Fine Art Masters, Richard Wentworth suggested that I continue in academia and consider undertaking a PHD. I'd joined the Whitechapel Gallery exhibitions team around that time; I was particularly interested in exhibition making, and presumed working there would inform further study. There I remained, amongst incredible colleagues, producing and designing over 250 internal and external exhibitions and commissions, from Paul McCarthy - LaLa Land Parody Paradise, to Chris Marker - A Grin Without A Cat, to ten wonderful Max Mara Art Prize for Women installations.
As a part of a generation of colleagues that worked on the 2009 Whitechapel Gallery expansion, I was subsequently asked to contribute to many similar institutional developments. It was with this experience in mind that I was approached to consider the Gathering project. As I began to understand the broader aims of the gallery, when the opportunity arose, I enthusiastically joined the team.
I wouldn’t necessarily characterise our intention as specifically focusing on artists that overtly speak about systemic social issues. My experience is that most artists reflect sympathetically on the current condition of their surroundings. It’s true to say that our programme has touched on issues of gender, identity, care, and other very important live topics,
Gathering opened with the intention of supporting and working with artists whose practices might otherwise prove tricky to facilitate, it might be said, artists who are perhaps more suited to an institutional platform. Artists have an important and unique voice; our intention was to place the artist at the centre of our activity and be respectful of that voice in a commercial setting.
I recently came across Paloma Proudfoot’s work at Goldsmiths CCA, in the wonderful exhibition Unruly Bodies (2023). My response was said to be "uncharacteristically effusive", so I’m particularly keen to follow Paloma’s progress. Also, Tasneem Elnayal and Eva Dixon’s work is striking. In general, I’m looking forward to exploring the cross section of artists that have contributed.
Pictures of Us, which opens on the 1st December. It’s been a great pleasure to be introduced to the guest curator, Lewis Dalton Gilbert. Lewis has brought together a wonderful group of artists that work with film and photography, not all of whom I was entirely familiar. I think with prescience, this exhibition touches upon themes of intimacy, tenderness, and compassion.
Beyond Pictures of Us, we’ve been working on an especially challenging project, that has required significant research and endeavour. There have been moments throughout my career, when I’ve had the unique opportunity to take a deep dive into a practice, or an artwork, that has long been significant in my own development and understanding. Most recently, producing a partial recreation of Kurt Schwitters ‘Merzbau’. In the spring, the Gathering team will present something similar.
Photography Credit: Grey Hutton
]]>There is never a typical day! In the early years, the majority of our calls were from people who had injected drugs back in the 60s, 70’s, 80s and 90s (and even if just once, that is the biggest risk factor for hepatitis C). The treatment available, up until around 6 years ago was brutal, with lots of side effects, only a 50/50 chance of success and between 6 and 12 months in duration. Much of our work at that time was taken up with encouraging people to keep going with it, and maintain a healthy lifestyle, so they had the best chance of success. If it didn’t work, there were no other options.
Now, the majority of our callers are from those who received infected blood or blood products before the early 90s when blood wasn’t screened, or their family members. We can encourage people to get tested, support them if they have just been diagnosed, answer all their questions, advocate for them in accessing the payment schemes that were set up to support them, offer ongoing emotional support, including to those who are now terminally ill and much more.
We also have queries from the general public, researchers, medical professionals and many others.
In total we have received over 63000 calls since we started, and have taken 4000 this year alone, the majority of whom are from the infected blood community.
It has been described as the “biggest treatment disaster in the history of the NHS”. Around 30,000 people received blood products, or blood transfusions that were infected with HIV and/or hepatitis C before 1991. Many have already died and others continue to die at a rate of 1 every 3 or 4 days. Many more have had their quality of life and overall health greatly impacted for decades. They have been stigmatised, traumatised, isolated and suffered considerable psychological distress, on top of the physical health consequences these infections and the older treatments for it caused them.
And there are still an unknown number who have yet to be diagnosed, and due to decades of infection, are often then found to have the long term consequences - cirrhosis, liver failure, or liver cancer. Although there are now safe, quick and easy treatments available to cure hepatitis C, there are very limited options for managing these other conditions. Sadly, we hear from 2 or 3 people every month who have only just been diagnosed but who received infected blood before 1992.
Our helpline, is the only designated, and most importantly, peer led service that provides support and information to them. The fact that we have had hepatitis C ourselves, enables people to open up and have trust and confidence in us. This is absolutely key, not only as it is such a stigmatising condition, but also as so many have lost faith and avoid/or delay engaging with the NHS for ongoing health concerns as a result of their experience.
Since it launched in 2004, up until 2019, we were very fortunate for our helpline to be supported by a wide variety of charitable trusts and foundations. However, over the last 10 years funding for UK helplines has all but disappeared. Our helpline now operates out of the Trust’s core funding, meaning that donations and fundraising events are really important in keeping us going.
We have now reached a point where the volume of calls we take and the ongoing support we provide, far exceeds our capacity. Fundraising through Art on a Postcard is essential to help us continue this vital work.
Put simply, it will help enable us to continue providing this much needed service.
There is simply no other organisation in the UK providing the support, information, advocacy, signposting and practical help, for those who were infected, or affected (widows, widowers, parents who lost children and children who lost parents) as a result of contaminated blood.
Nor is there for those who were infected in other ways.
A truly impossible question! There is such an incredible selection in this auction.
Let’s just say I will be keeping a close eye on the bidding of the following artists, in no particular order – Hetty Haxworth, Julian Hicks, James Russell, Nadine Faraj, Elsa Rouy, David Micheaud, Angie Hunt, Luke Chueh, Alison Jackson and Joe Berger.
These are just some of my personal favourites and I would love to have any one of their amazing contributions.
We are thrilled to share that our auctions in support of St. Wilfrid’s Hospice have successfully raised an astounding £52K! This accomplishment signifies the achievement of our goal to provide vital support for St. Wilfrid’s by funding a nurse for an entire year.
Our heartfelt appreciation goes out to Tom Best and The Auction Collective (@theauctioncollective) for overseeing our auctions, as well as to the Towner Gallery (@townergallery) for hosting the Private View.
Thank you to the entire St Wilfrid’s Hospice team (@stwhospice), who have been incredible to work with.
We extend a special note of gratitude to Emma Mason Gallery (@emmamasonprints) for her generous donation of artworks by Robert Tavener, James TA Osborne, and Fredrick Whitehead RCA. We also express our deepest thanks to Polly Mockford for her donation of a painting created by her father, Harold Mockford.
Our most profound thanks are reserved for the exceptionally generous artists who donated their artworks, ultimately making this achievement possible.
]]>St Wilfrid’s Hospice is a charity that looks after and supports people with life-limiting illnesses in Eastbourne, Seaford, Uckfield and the surrounding areas.
A lot of people might think of a hospice as a sad place that people come to to die, but in reality it is a bright vibrant place that people come to for a variety of reasons. Some might stay on the Inpatient Unit for help managing particular symptoms before returning home, others will come in for just a few hours at a time to work with our Physios or access a support group. We also have a wonderful café that is open to the public, so many people just come in for a cuppa. Of course, we are also here at the end of a person’s life and we strive to ensure they can live well right up until the end. We support families throughout this journey, and with bereavement support.
Something that may surprise people is that a lot of our care happens outside of the hospice. Our expert team care for and support people in their own homes and in care homes across our area, enabling people to stay at home when they might otherwise have been in hospital.
I am the Nurse Manager for our Inpatient Unit, so I lead the team who look after patients who are staying at the hospice. I’ve been at St Wilfrid’s for 9 years permanently, but worked here in a bank capacity since 2003. As well as the fabulous team work at the hospice, I particularly love having the opportunity to get to know families and patients, and knowing that we are making that little bit of difference at the end of a person’s life.
St Wilfrid’s Hospice has been at the heart of the local community for more that 40 years. It started in 1978 with a pain clinic set up at Eastbourne District General Hospital by Consultant Anaesthetist Joan Hester, and developed quickly into what we recognise today as a hospice.
Our original building was on Mill Gap Road in Eastbourne, a beautiful converted Victorian House that offered a Day Hospice and Inpatient Unit. The building, and team, were extended over the years until it became clear that we had outgrown that site and moved to our purpose built hospice on Broadwater Way in Eastbourne in 2013.
The hospice doesn’t solely operate in Eastbourne, however. We look after people in their own homes and in care homes from Pevensey through to Seaford and up to Uckfield and Heathfield. We also have a network of shops that raise funds for the hospice and sit in the hearts of local communities across our catchment area.
We are hoping that this auction will raise over £40,000 which would be enough to pay for a nurse for a year.
Fundraising is vitally important to St Wilfrid’s as only 30% of the cost of providing our care is covered by government. The rest comes from fundraising and gifts in wills so we are incredibly grateful to everyone who supports us.
There are lots of ways to get involved: donating, fundraising, taking part in events, leaving a gift in your will, playing the Local Hospice Lottery, volunteering, or donating to our shopping in our shops. Anyone interested in finding out more can do so at our website.
There is so much to choose from in the auction that it is hard to pick favourites, but Darren Slater’s ‘A Hidden View’ resonated me when I first saw it. It gives me a sense of peace and tranquillity.
]]>£13.5K raised! We are delighted that our mini auction guest curated by Jack Trodd has raised £13.5K for the Hepatitis C Trust.
]]>£13.5K raised! We are delighted that our mini auction guest curated by Jack Trodd has raised £13.5K for the Hepatitis C Trust.
We are so grateful to Jack for curating such a wonderful pool of talent!
Thank you also The Auction Collective for hosting our auction!
A biggest thank you goes to the wonderful artists, without whom none of this would be possible.
The proceeds from this auction will support The Hepatitis C Trust's work and their campaign to eliminate hepatitis c by 2030.
£55K raised! We are delighted to announce that our auction in support of War Child UK has raised £55K for the charity! Thank you to everyone who bid to help us achieve this result!
£55K raised! We are delighted to announce that our auction in support of War Child UK has raised £55K for the charity! Thank you to everyone who bid to help us achieve this result!
A special thank you to India Rose James and Soho Revue Gallery (@sohorevue) for hosting our Private View and the fantastic team at @warchilduk for all their hard work.
Of course, a massive thank you to the wonderful artists, without whom none of this would be possible.
This auction has raised money for War Child UK (@warchilduk) and their efforts to protect, educate, and stand up for the rights of children in war.
At War Child we are driven by a single goal – ensuring a safe future for every child affected by war.
Every day, our teams are creating safe spaces for children to play, learn and access psychological support, and we specialise in responding rapidly to emergency crisis situations to deliver immediate and critical care to help to those who need us most, when they need us most.
We also ensure that challenges faced by children are widely understood and addressed by those in power. To that end, we campaign to influence decision makers and empower those with personal experiences of conflict to raise issues and advocate for themselves. We tackle the root causes of conflict by ensuring those in power understand and protect children’s rights.
I have been working with War Child since March 2020 and leading on the organisation’s policy and advocacy work. Prior to joining War Child, I had worked with a number of human rights organisations and carried out advocacy on issues affecting refugees and migrants, women and human rights defenders (with a specific focus on the East Africa region).
Together with our partners, we deliver our vital work in 15 countries across Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Latin America.
We are working on reintegration across several countries. We work with governments, communities and families to ensure that children are accepted back into their communities and supported to be children again after being associated with armed groups.
We also respond to emergency crises. Recently, we responded to the earthquake crisis in Türkiye and Syria. We have been actively working in Syria through our partners since 2012 responding to the conflict-driven crisis. When the first earthquake hit, we mobilised a rapid response to meet the critical needs of children and their families living in the devastating aftermath.
While initial efforts prioritised people’s basic needs, we are now ensuring that vital protection services, psychological first aid and psychological support are available to the thousands of children at severe risk. From February-March, through our partners, we provided vital support to at least 11,198 individuals.
Over the last 14 months, we have also been supporting children and their families in Ukraine. Initially, we focused on Ukraine’s borders, protecting children that had fled their homes and providing families with shelter, food aid and cash assistance.
As the conflict continued, and the needs grew, we expanded our work, both geographically and in scope. Education had been severely disrupted and we urgently needed to help restore access to learning for children who were now missing out on an education.
We also adapted our psychological support programme consisting of sports, play, movement and body awareness activities for children to help them process the trauma of their experiences.
This is just a snapshot of our work!
Protecting children from harm during conflict is what War Child does. It is a specialist charity with a specific focus and it prioritises vital needs for children such as support for the mental health and psychosocial support and getting children back to school. In addition to delivering programmes and those services, we also undertake a great amount of work at home to make sure the UK government applies and commits to its legal obligations to children living through conflict.
We're over the moon to be partnering with Art on a Postcard. Their concept of 'Small Art, Big Impact' resonates deeply with us at War Child, as it embodies the power of art to create positive change. Plus, the incredible sense of equality across the auction - with all lots being the same size and same starting bid - really spoke to us and felt perfectly aligned with our values here at War Child.
We're excited to be working together to raise funds and awareness for War Child’s cause, and we look forward to engaging with the vibrant art community along the way!
When war breaks out, children are often left without even the most basic supplies needed to survive. Donations from the auction will help children access to food, clothes and other essentials, ensuring they have what they need to make it through some of the toughest conditions imaginable.
Funds raised from the auction will also provide psychosocial and educational support. This will mean that more children will be able to access education, recover from the effects of war and have hope for the future.
I really loved the pieces by Rita Keegan such as ‘Backyard’ and ‘Grandmother’s Garden’. I loved the use of real images of people and it made me wonder the significance of the additional images added. I also was drawn to Sarah Hardy’s ‘Remembering’ and Rob Browning’s ‘Bay’ – despite not seeing the face of both of the people in those pieces they evoke a lot of emotion. And last but not least I really enjoyed Bortusk Leer’s ‘All Rules Are Made Up’. I really liked the colours and how it popped off the page albeit with an important message that seems to be delivered with humour.
]]>We are delighted that our current auction in aid of War Child UK has three mini masterpieces by American artist Christina Quarles!
Christina Quarles (b. 1985) is a Los Angeles-based artist, whose practice works to dismantle and question assumptions and ingrained beliefs surrounding identity and the human figure. Christina is represented by Hauser and Wirth and Pilar Corrias, London.
]]>Christina Quarles (b. 1985) is a Los Angeles-based artist, whose practice works to dismantle and question assumptions and ingrained beliefs surrounding identity and the human figure. Christina is represented by Hauser and Wirth and Pilar Corrias, London.
Lot 216. Christina Quarles, Where I Can Lay My Head
£41K raised! We are delighted that our first auction of the year, our annual International Women's Day Auction, has brought in £41K - a wonderful way to celebrate yesterday's International Women's Day!
We are so thankful to the seven curators who made this possible with their hard work: Beth Greenacre, Carrie Scott, Louise Fitzjohn, Bakul Patki, Mollie Barnes, Lee Sharrock and Sandra De Giorgi. A heartfelt thank you to the wonderful artists, without whom none of this would be possible.
Thank you also The Auction Collective for hosting our auction and Fitzrovia Gallery for hosting our Private View.
The proceeds from this auction will support The Hepatitis C Trust's work with women affected by the criminal justice system both in prison and local communities.
]]>£96.5k raised! We are so proud to announce that this auction has raised more than any we’ve ever done – this would not have been possible without the support of our incredible artists and bidders – a heartfelt thank you!
]]>£96.5k raised! We are so proud to announce that this auction has raised more than any we’ve ever done – this would not have been possible without the support of our incredible artists and bidders – a heartfelt thank you!
Thank you also Dreweatts for hosting our auction and The Bomb Factory Art Foundation for hosting our Private View.
The proceeds from this auction will support The Hepatitis C Trust as they continue their vital work to eliminate hepatitis C by 2030.
]]>Our mini auction guest curated by gowithYamo has raised £8.5K! A huge thank you to the wonderful artists who donated their artwork and to all the bidders for their support.
A massive thank you to gowithYamo and Nathalie Brough for curating and collaborating on this auction.
Thank you to the Koppel Project for hosting our Private View, Whiteclaw for sponsoring our event and The Auction Collective for hosting our online auction.
The proceeds of this auction will go to the Hepatitis C Trust and their goal of eliminating hepatitis C by 2030.
]]>Our fourth annual Summer Auction has raised £45K! A massive thank you to the phenomenal artists who donated their postcard-size artworks and all the bidders for their support.
Thank you to The Other Art Fair for hosting our wonderful artworks in-person and to Dreweatts Auction House for a seamless bidding experience.
A special thank you to Lisa Baker Ltd and Bella Bonner for their hard work as always.
The proceeds of this auction will go to the Hepatitis C Trust, supporting their goal to eliminate hepatitis C by 2030.
]]>Our mini auction in collaboration with The Bomb Factory raised £15K! A huge thank you to the wonderful artists who donated their works and all the bidders for your support!
A special thank you to Pallas Citroen and The Bomb Factory for collaborating on this auction and hosting our Private View.
Thank you also to The Auction Collective and Lisa Baker Ltd for contributing to this incredible result.
We are delighted to split the proceeds of this auction between The Hepatitis C Trust and The Bomb Factory Art Foundation, supporting their mission to provide affordable studio and free exhibition space, and and help arts and art education to flourish in their local community.
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‘Rugged Defensive Play’
14.7 cm x 20.8 cm | 5.8 x 8.2 inches
Giclée Hahnemühle German Etching
Limited Edition of 50
Hand-signed by Artist
Caroline is an artistic stalwart with a career spanning multiple decades and movements. Despite figurative painting being ‘out’ by the time she left art school, Caroline continued to paint how and as she wanted. Influenced by Pop Art, Feminist Art and the politics of sexual liberation, Caroline’s work continually confronted and destabilised patriarchal and binary sexual stereotypes. Caroline has been deeply embedded in both the fashion and music worlds as well and was one of the women to whom Germaine Greer dedicated ‘The Female Eunuch’. Although considered ‘shocking’ by the establishment, (the Tate banned her ‘Mr Olympia’ for its erect penis), Caroline never wavered from her style.
Rewarded with well-deserved recognition and success later in her career, Caroline remains rooted in her principles – ‘Success to me will depend on what happens now in my studio. If, in the next few years, I can make one or two paintings that people will consider worth seeing, then I will be happy.’
Caroline’s print is based on a miniature sketch of her painting ‘Rugged Defensive Play’ (2020), submitted as a lot in Art on a Postcard’s International Women’s Day Auction in 2020. The large-scale version of this design was recently featured in the Hayward Gallery’s ‘Mixing it Up: Painting Today’. ‘Rugged Defensive Play’ is an homage to the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup where players like Megan Rapinoe, Daniëlle van de Donk and Demi Stokes challenged sexism.
‘The multicultural players and fans within this painting represent my lifelong belief in blur and fluidity. My people are hermaphroditic, she/he or queer people who revel in the biological beauty of the whole human body and genitalia both female and male. Across a gender spectrum from masculine to feminine, they break free from the fixed binary stereotypes of sex, colour or class imposed on us by patriarchy’ Caroline describes.
This print is the first Limited Edition print Caroline has ever done – the run of 50 A5 prints are each hand-signed by Caroline herself.
]]>
Sydney Lima is a journalist and presenter. Sydney launched the Spotify Original podcast Sex, Lies & DM Slides with Gizzie Erskine based off of an article she wrote for British Vogue, ‘Model Sydney Lima Speaks Out On The Dark Underbelly Of Instagram.' The series quickly trended on Spotify and features the likes of Munroe Bergdorf, Lily Allen, Ruby Wax and Rose McGowan. She has written for The Sunday Times Style Magazine, Tatler, British Vogue, i-D, Wonderland, HERO, and LOVE. She has also worked with brands like Chanel, Mulberry, De Beers, Cartier, Salvatore Ferragamo, Christian Louboutin, Sandro, YSL Beauty Club, Reformation and MAC. Sydney Lima; as a woman is your freedom to create valued?
‘I will summarise my answer to that question with an email I received the other day from a broadcast channel regarding a pitch I had been developing over two years. After no response from them initially i sent a few follow up emails, but to no avail. Finally a male producer piped up asking where we were at with it all. Within the hour i had a response. The email? ‘Hi Heydon, Thank you so much for your pitch...’
Eli Goldstone is a writer who lives in Margate. Her novel Strange Heart Beating was published by Granta and won a Betty Trask prize in 2018. She has written for the Guardian, the New Statesman and the TLS and her TV credits include Charlie Brooker’s Antiviral Wipe, Philomena Cunk and Netflix’s BAFTA nominated Death to 2020.
Eli Goldstone, as a woman is your freedom to create valued?
The freedom to create is the thing I value most in my life. For a long time I thought that my work was an incidental luxury, but I realised recently that it is the key to everything: if I’m free to create then I’m free to experience contentment, connection, and to be present in an overwhelming world. Almost everything that I do now is in service to my creative freedom.
Catherine Chinatree is a Margate Based multidisciplinary visual artist, who is interested in the representational idea of shared “reality” with a focus on identity, dualism, and cultural fluidity. The work is supported with research in Anthropology, Social surrealism and human behaviour. ‘Most of my inspiration comes from the outside world of everyday life, our daily activities, symbolism/ Rituals, and the people I meet. My practice is both studio and outdoor based.’ Catherine Chinatree, as a woman is your freedom to create valued?
Time is limited, and being a single mum artist, I have to be creative with my time, and for this I feel no guilt whatsoever. However the feeling of guilt to just do nothing at all, to take time out of any creative input is real. The short answer to whether as a woman is my freedom to create valued would be No, yet I believe it is not so black and white like that, as other factors like social/ cultural backgrounds and circles etc play a role in this. I mould my life around my practice, and feel I have had to prove myself and explain more why my creativity is an important part of not just my life, but for society. What I understand from my friend’s experience who don’t work in the creative sector, is that they feel any creative project is not a priority, even though just the idea of being able to do it fills them with a sense of joy.
Fee Doran is a fashion designer, she gained notoriety in the 1990s working with pop stars such as Duran Duran, Kylie Minogue, Madonna, Katy Perry, Florence & The Machine to name a few. She created fashion label Mrs Jones (after marrying Mr Jones), and collaborated and worked with brands such as Fred Perry and Oxfam.
Fee Doran, as a woman is your freedom to create valued?
To be honest that question really threw me... I haven’t thought about such things in a long time… I guess the truth is the older and uglier you get as a woman the more seriously you are taken in business. Annoyingly it was when I was young and hot I was most on fire with my best ideas and had tonnes of energy to see them through but definitely wasn’t valued or taken seriously back then, I always felt shoved under a rug. My ideas and designs would be used but no one would give me any credit. I guess Instagram would have been really helpful in the 90s.
Twinkle Troughton is an artist living and working in Margate. Using oil on paper, her paintings are inspired by human and historical traces in our landscapes which captivate her. Twinkle has exhibited both in the UK and internationally and has work in private collections. Recent solo exhibitions include Paper Gallery in Manchester, and Haeckel's Home in Margate.
Alongside her practice Twinkle also curates exhibitions, writes, and is the newly appointed editor of Margate Mercury after 5 years of being the magazine's Arts Editor.
Twinkle Troughton, as a woman is your freedom to create valued?
When I heard the awards at the Brits were going gender neutral my initial thoughts were this was real progress, because really whether what is being made is any good or not shouldn't be impacted by what gender the artist is. That's in an ideal world though...and what I still see in the world around me are women fighting for time and resources to create, and in some cases even choosing between having a family or not. Society is still imbalanced in favour of men, and so there is still a need for events like all-female exhibitions and festivals like POW! You only need to have a short walk around the National Gallery to see art history is told through the eyes of men, experiences and view-points of women rarely get a look in.
I've had mixed experiences in my own life; When I was in a female fronted band, even though we put the band together, drove it forwards, and co-wrote the music we would often be called 'groupies' and receive derogatory comments about only being in a band to get near male musicians. But I have also been incredibly fortunate in that I have always been surrounded by a creative family, and have friends and peers who have encouraged me to create, not as a woman but as an artist. Although perhaps the fact I see that as 'incredibly fortunate' is very telling. And my awareness of the need to platform and highlight creative women has meant I have curated a few all-women exhibitions too.
Julia Sheehan, the National Female Prisons Coordinator for the Trust, discuss the work that the Trust does.
I am the Women’s Prison Peer Coordinator. I oversee the prison peer programme across the 12 female establishments that make up the women’s prison estate. I work alongside a wonderful woman called Colette Price who is the Women’s Prison Peer Lead. I focus on the prisons down south and Colette leads on the northern prisons as she is based in Manchester. Together we deliver Hepatitis C awareness training sessions to both staff and prisoners, P2P workshops, support liver clinics for those diagnosed with hepatitis C and run 121 clinics where we support women through their treatment.
Women’s prisons have a significantly higher prevelence of hepatitis C in comparison to the male prisons; this is because most women in prison are there for a drug related offense. With so many cuts in services and the lack of housing, reoffending rates amongst women are high and many will be caught up in the revolving door of prison. As an ex prisoner and I know this journey well. Women face different disadvantages to men and many women in prison have extensive histories of violence and abuse that lead to poor mental health, drug addiction and complex needs. The women I work with need a safe space where they don’t feel judged or alone and that’s what my team give them.
The ‘Follow Me’ is a tool we have taken from the community team and developed it to use in prisons. It is an extra safety net to reduce patients lost to release and ensures continuity of care. We really needed something where the pathway could be followed into the community and vice versa. At the earliest opportunity a ‘Follow Me’ consent form is completed, usually in clinic, with all the relevant details needed to find her on release. It is also used to support women who are mid-treatment on release so she can be supported through to being given her ‘cured’ status.
The ‘Follow Me’ process is mirrored across the entire prison estate.
As far as I am aware we were the first all-female team with lived experience of hepatitis C to do work in the female prisons. It was new ground and we faced many challenges in terms of access because of our lived experience of prison. Most of our work was focused on delivering training and sharing our own personal stories with the women in a group setting and really cementing the importance of getting tested. Fast forward 2 years and the difference blows my mind when I think about it. Treatment is available to everyone that needs it. Every female prison will have a HITT (high intensity test and treat event) where in partnership with the local NHS Trust, prison healthcare and HMPPS we deliver a full prison testing event and anyone that needs treating will be. And we are there every step of the way, supporting the women.
I started with the Trust as a volunteer with a dream to help people with hep C after I completed the new treatment myself in 2017. It was so simple, a short course of tablets and I was cured of a virus I had for at least 10 years. I became a paid member of staff in February 2018 after our now CEO Rachel Halford had a vision for the prison peer programme to be rolled out into the female prison estate. I thought with my experience of having hepatitis C in prison I could make a difference. I would have benefited so much from the support we give to the women today.
My favourite will always be the International Women’s day Auctions. Women hold such a special place in my heart and what a wonderful way to acknowledge women’s achievements, with beautiful art created by women.
1. Ceal Warnants - Girls Are Loud. I love this, it feels like permission to be vocal and passionate. The complete opposite of the stiff “girls should be seen and not heard”
2. Gabrielle Rul - Stories Come To Life. We are the makers of our own destiny. We write our own book and bring it to life with the decisions we make and actions we take.
3. Gabrielle Rul - Dear Friend, There’s So Much I Want To Tell You. We all need friends in our corner.
To find out more about the Trust's work visit their website.
]]>Position: Founder and Director
How long have you been here: I've been at the Trust since 2006 and doing Art on a Postcard since 2014
A bit about you: I'm from London, I did film at LCP (LCC now) I'm a sworn coffee drinker (I hate tea). Before I worked at the charity I worked in music for a while as that fitted in better than film would with a young child at home.
What’s the best exhibit you have seen recently?
I enjoyed Mixing it Up - it was fun to see all the great painters who have also taken part in AoaP but my favourite shows of the 3 years would be
1. Natalia Goncharova at Tate Modern
2. Artemisia Gentileschi at The National
3.Lynette Yiadom-Boakye at Tate Britain
I cannot wait for the Bacon and Cezanne shows at the RA & Tate Modern later in the year!
What is your favourite print in our shop?
My favourite print is Fipsi Seirlen' AKA - Pang's - REMBRANDT / MINIATURE ASSHOLE
Fipsi is such a huge talent. She can really paint and I love all her work but her miniature asshole series made me laugh so much. They are about jobsworths from the council or idiots that go and tag their names across a good bit of street art. The idea of someone from the council painting over a Rembrandt is funny and would happen.
What can you be found doing on your days off?
You will find me walking with my sister on the south downs (I've even got proper walking boots), looking after my goddaughters, doing yoga or in a gallery with my son.
Position: Digital Marketing and Commercial Coordinator
How long have you been here: August 2021
A bit about you: I was born and raised in Switzerland and have been based in the UK for the last 6 years - I studied art history and my star sign is Leo ♌
What’s the best exhibit you have seen recently?
I loved ‘From Scratch' group exhibition curated by Annette Fernando at Spitalfields Studios! There was such a diverse array of works including a short film!
What is your favourite print in our shop?
Ceal Warnants, Life's a Beach - I love the colours in this, it is both nostalgic and witty.
What can you be found doing on your days off?
I've greatly enjoyed getting back into yoga over the last few months. I also love puzzles! 🧘♀️🧩
Position: Office and Auction Coordinator
How long have you been here: Only 5 months - but I’ve learnt so much already it feels like longer!
A bit about you: After three years in Manchester studying architecture, where I spent most of my time in the Whitworth Gallery,I moved to London and spent three years working front of house at an art gallery. I developed a love of talking to people and a belief that art plays a powerful role in people’s lives. For me, Art on a Postcard is an incredible and tangible way to make a difference through art, plus I love admin and organising so it suits me!
What’s the best exhibit you have seen recently?
The Summer Exhibition at RA is always great, but this year felt extra special - it was bright, relevant and inspiring. I am really looking forward to 2022 exhibitions, including Louise Bourgeois at the Hayward and I finally managed to get tickets for Yayoi Kusama at Tate Modern.
What is your favourite print in our shop?
John Wragg - Untitled 7
What can you be found doing on days off?
Stomping around SW London drinking coffee and catching up on reading, good tv and knitting 🧶☕
Position: Video Content Creator
How long have you been here: Just one month!
A bit about you: I grew up in Pembrokeshire on the West coast of Wales, studied film in Glasgow and now live in Lewisham. My coffee order is tea with oat milk (I know!😬) My favourite emoji = 🙃
What’s the best exhibit you have seen recently?
My new year's resolution is to start going to more shows, I always love to see the small exhibits at Lewisham Arthouse round the corner from me, but I want to get into the habit of venturing further afield.
What is your favourite print in our shop?
DONNA MCLEAN - THE LAMBING SHEDS - I love the use of light and dark and it feels strangely nostalgic, maybe from my childhood in Wales! 🐑
What can you be found doing on days off?
Watching films and tv, cooking, enjoying nature 📺🥘🌳
5 Auctions
7 Print Releases
Over £225k – Amount raised via Auctions
£4000 – highest selling auction lot this year
Alongside our three annual auctions, we also had our first guest curated auctions, with Jealous Gallery and with She Curates – both were resounding successes! Keep your eyes out for our mini guest-curated auctions in 2022!
We’ve been featured in wonderful press this year, including our FAD article and Financial Times – How to Give It.
Now that 2021 is almost done, we’re casting an eye ahead to 2022 – have so many exciting things to share with you including….
Thank you to everyone who has supported us this year – we wish everyone a safe and happy holiday season!
]]>We are delighted to announce the highly anticipated release of two limited edition prints by Helen Beard. The prints will release on the 2nd December.
Helen has contributed to numerous past AoaP auctions - her career spans over fifteen years and her striking and confident pieces have received international renown.
Entwine
Giclée print on Hahnemühle Photo Rag
A5 (15 x 21 cm)
2021
Limited Edition of 50
Signed and numbered by the artist
£125
I Believe In A Heaven I'll Never Enter
Giclée print on Hahnemühle Photo Rag
A5 (15 x 21 cm)
2021
Limited Edition of 50
Signed and numbered by the artist
£125
As always, our print release will be available to our mailing list first. Sign up HERE
]]>We raised £68k this auction, with the proceeds going to The Hepatitis C Trust, furthering their goal of elimination by 2030.
Some of the auction stand outs include Hurvin Anderson's lots, which collectively raised £7.5k, Darren Reid's lot which went for over £3k, and recent RCA graduate Catherine Repko, whose lots went for over £2k.
A huge thank you to The Auction Collective for hosting our auction, the Soho Revue gallery for hosting our private view, and gowithYamo for sponsoring our podcast, Art on a Podcast.
]]>Art on a Postcard is delighted to be partnering with gowithYamo to create a virtual version of our renowned exhibitions. gowithYamo also sponsors our podcast, Art on a Podcast!
gowithYamo is your personal art tour guide that helps you find exhibitions, galleries, events and showcases with a single tap. Whether you’re an Old Masters lover or a contemporary art enthusiast, they’ve got you covered. Visit their website to discover interviews, news, reviews and more virtual exhibitions.
We sat down with gowithYamo to find out more about what they do and their unique place within the art world.
gowithYamo aims to make art more accessible to a wider audience - from emerging artists to old masters, sculpture to abstract, pop-up shows to art fairs, we don’t discriminate! It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by choice when looking for an exhibition to visit. Our founders wanted to create a unique experience whereby users could be guided through art of their liking just by using simple filters, or by choosing from our expertly picked recommendations.
Our app is not only your pocket-sized art itinerary but you also get rewarded when visiting your favourite exhibitions by collect points (Yamos) and redeem them in our in-app gift shop. To make the experience as inclusive as possible, we encourage artists and gallerists to add to our ever-growing exhibitions list, and we ensure that the app is totally free to use. All you art enthusiasts have to do is discover art, get rewarded, and repeat - that’s our aim!
We are also more than just an app. Our blogs and video interviews shine light on some brilliant artists, galleries, curators, and other like-minded creatives who want their voices amplified amid the business of today’s art scene. We are also thrilled to collaborate with Art on a Postcard to bring you Art on a Podcast and our virtual exhibitions compliment those in the flesh by further expanding their audience. So whether you fall among the art-lovers or art professionals, be sure to check out our website www.gowithyamo.com and socials @gowithyamo because you’re bound to find something for you.
We’re constantly on the lookout for new and exciting artwork and we use our social platforms to share our findings. In recent months, we have been avid followers and champions of Elsa Rouy and Kay Gasei. At 20 years of age, Elsa has been taking the art world by storm ever since graduating earlier this year, having had several exhibitions at Guts Gallery among others. While Kay has been in the game a little longer, he surprises us with every one of his creations. His work has comic-like resemblances and deals with myth and narrative. Elsa’s work is graphic and crude. Everything we’re told to conceal, she paints loud and proud onto canvas. We love them both and can’t wait to see what they have in store for us next.
Lots 196-199 by Elsa Rouy in AoaP Winter Auction
It’s difficult to pick one only! As exhibitions were moved online during lockdown last year while shops, bars and music venues closed down, it was particularly special to be able to experience Electronic: From Kraftwerk to Chemical Brothers at the Design Museum. It felt almost like reliving the music scene that we desperately missed. There’s also Daniel Richter and Michael Armitage at Whitechapel, Lynette Yiadom-Boakye at Tate Britain, Jennifer Packer at Serpentine...
Art on a Postcard utilise their platform not only to raise money for charity, they also select a wonderful range of artists to participate in their auctions. Alongside some of the biggest names in the art world you can also discover a variety of lesser known artists, the important thing is the art itself at Art on a Postcard. Plus, they are a joy to work with!
The She Curates series is a great one to listen to. We recommend the episode with Unskilled Worker, it’s fascinating to hear the unconventional ways of making it into the art scene as an artist in the digital age.
Gemma, AoaP's Director says: "Everyone at Art on a Postcard has really enjoyed working with Mollie, handing over the curating reigns to someone new is always exciting, if not a bit nerve-wracking. Mollie has packed her small auction with so much exciting talent. There are established artists to fabulously interesting emerging talent to an artist who found their oeuvre on Instagram.
Like all new relationships in this age we met Mollie on social media under her moniker She Curates and loved her page. Her passion for art shines out of it and behind the page we were surprised to find such a young curator, newly graduated and bursting with ideas. We hope to collaborate again in the future!"
We sat down with Mollie for a quick-fire Q&A about art and curation!
A great question, and such a huge question, with so many incredible opportunities! An artist whose work I am really loving at the moment is Rachel Jones. Jones produces these incredible, often large scale, monumental abstract works. They often incorporate mixed media, such as oil pastels on canvas, and from afar remind me of textile pieces.
A historical artist whose work would be a dream to collect would perhaps be a piece from the great Helen Frankenthaler. Perhaps a colourful and lucid work like ‘Fable’.
I’m not sure about being a part of it as I certainly couldn’t add anything, but I really love surrealism, particularly Leonora Carrington - an artist who I am eager to learn more and more of - and of course Frida Kahlo’s epic works, although she rejected the surrealist label saying her works reflected reality more than dreams.
I wish I had seen Peggy Guggenheim’s 31: Women exhibition in New York. The curation and hanging of these works always excites me. I also wish I had seen Judy Chicago’s The Dinner Party installation.
Rather than wishing to have curated them myself, I enjoy working with inspiration from historical exhibitions, and learning. For example, my May 2021 exhibition with the incredible Daniel Raphael Gallery featured 25 international women and non-binary artists, taken from how Chicago had started The Dinner Party as ‘Twenty-Five Women Who Were Eaten Alive’.
I’m really hopeful for the art world, and for the incredible people in it. I think we’re going to see some really exciting works, artists and exhibitions come from this strange couple of years. I hope everything will be revitalised, fresh, and more introspective from lessons learnt.
Of course, I loved International Women’s Day 2021, featuring so many exciting talents. Art on a Postcard knocks it out the park every time.
Please note: The bidding process of this auction is different. Please register to bid in advance of the auction closing.
Visit our auction page – She Curates x Art on a Postcard and register for the auction. You will need to have an account with The Auction Collective to register for the auction.
Once bidding opens you will be able to place your ‘Maximum bid’. The platform will automatically bid for you against other bidders in bidding increments. You will be notified if you have been outbid and will be given a chance to counter. Any bids placed last minute of the auction extend the entire auction by two minutes so that everyone has the chance to bid again. For more information, please see The Auction Collective’s video on timed online auctions and their article on how to bid.
The bidder with the highest bid when the countdown times out will win the piece. The winning bidder will receive an email notifying them of their success and will be provided further instructions on payment from the AoaP team.
The Auction Collective started as an idea by former Christie's auctioneer and Contemporary Art Specialist Tom Best. Using this wealth of expertise and an innovative auction platform, The Auction Collective provides bidders with an efficient and pleasant experience. We sat down with Tom to ask a few questions about TAC and their journey.
- Visit Dreweatts.com
Visit www.dreweatts.com to get started.
- Create an online bidding account
Before you can start bidding, you must create an online bidding account. Visit www.Dreweatts.com to register. All first-time bidders will be asked to provide two forms of identification:
You will only be asked for your ID at the point of creating your online account and once your account has been set up, you will then be able to register for any future auctions.
Create an account HERE
- Register to bid for the Art on a Postcard Summer Auction
Once your online bidding account has been set up, log into your account, find the Art on a Postcard Summer Auction and click the ‘Register to bid’ button. You can now place your bids.
- Place bids
Place high bids on your favourite artworks before or during the auction and Dreweatts' bidding system will automatically place bids for you up to that price. You will be notified via email if you have been outbid and can raise your high bids at any time.
- Pay online
Pay online for lots you’ve won.
Learn more HERE