With the coronavirus pandemic causing the cancellation of fundraising events this year for many charities, the art world has stepped up.
House of Vans London and The Auction Collective are the latest to team up in the name of charity and will be hosting a live fundraising auction on 18 November at 7pm to draw their virtual 360° exhibition in House of Vans London’s gallery space to a close.
Combining fine art and skate culture, ‘Objects of Art | The Skateboards’ will see 21 customised skate decks from a curated selection of established and emerging artists, including Grayson Perry, LA-based street artist Mr. Brainwash, Pure Evil, Bambi, Charley Peters and Rene Gonzalez, go on sale to raise funds for leading youth homelessness charity Centrepoint.
Between January and March 2019, an estimated 24,455 young people approached their local council in England because they were homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. Since the start of the pandemic, 78 per cent of councils have seen an increase in homelessness, and Centrepoint is now seeing an increase of around 50 per cent in calls to the Helpline from young people facing homelessness. The majority of councils also foresee an increase in homelessness in the coming months.
Artist and contributor Charley Peters said: “Centrepoint is an important charity that does life-changing work to support young people during the most difficult of circumstances. I’m very pleased to have been able to support them through this project with The Auction Collective by painting a skate deck, it means a lot to me to create artwork that can make a difference to people’s lives.”
Tom Best, former Christie’s auctioneer and director and auctioneer at The Auction Collective, added: “The generosity and creativity of the artist’s involved has been sublime. Bringing together skate culture and fine art, the collection of skateboards offered in this auction provide a unique opportunity for the public to acquire a contemporary collectible item like none other, whilst also supporting a fantastic cause.”
For more details on the auction and to register to bid, click here.
Further information about Centrepoint and how to donate to the charity can be found here.