Sunday 6 December 2009

'Watch This Space' Charity Art Auction


Yellow/Red II
Acrylic on canvas
24 x 24in
© Julie Umerle
On December 8th, ‘Watch This Space’ will organise the first Special Yoga Centre auction of young and emerging artists. This will not only give collectors a chance to discover some hot new artists, and support their practice by purchasing their work, it will also raise much needed funds for the Special Yoga Centre. I am delighted to be participating in this event by donating one of my paintings (as above) to the charity auction.

Over the past three years, The Special Yoga Centre has hosted charity art auctions of artworks by some of the country’s most celebrated contemporary artists including: Damien Hirst, Sam Taylor-Wood, Peter Blake and Marc Quinn. The last auction, introduced by Samantha Cameron, and hosted by Gabbi Roslin, raised a staggering £100,000, even more amazing since this event took place in the midst of an economic downturn. A Christie’s auctioneer auctioned off some exquisite pieces, including a spot painting and etchings by Hirst.

Yoga expert and co-author of ‘The Spiritual Teachings of Yoga’ Jo Manuel founded the Special Yoga Centre in 2004 as a charitable organization supporting children with a variety of conditions, which can be aided by the practice of yoga. Children with Down’s syndrome, cerebral palsy, autism, epilepsy, ADD, ADHD and other physical and developmental difficulties all benefit from the expert teaching offered at the Special Yoga Centre, whose policy is to offer yoga to all without regard to financial or cultural constraints. Children from all walks of life, including the late son of shadow Prime Minister David Cameron, have benefited from the care and teaching of the Special Yoga Centre.

Artists featuring in the auction will include; Andrew Campbell, Ann-Marie James, Arran Gregory, Ben Jenkins, Best One, Cereinyn Ord, Daisy de Villeneuve, Elliott Young, Epoh Beech, Eugene Wood, Graham Hudson, Harry Malt, Ilaria Conte, Izzie Klingels, Julie Umerle, Jim Cooper, Kevin Fitzpatrick, Konrad Wyrebek, Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry & Peter Harris, Lee Jones, Louise Richardson, Mat Pringle, Matilda Temperley, Max Parsons, Monkey Punch III, Niall O’Brien, Nick Cunard, Nick Jensen, Peter Edwards, Ricky Adam, Robin Clare, Sam Szulc, Sarah Cooney, Sarah Kate Wilson, Sara le Roy, Sky Sharrock, Sohrab and Suzie Wright.

Frances Outred, European Head of Post-War and Contemporary Art at Christie's, will take the auction, with a special celebrity host getting the crowd going. Therefore this event provides an excellent opportunity for collectors to discover exciting new artists. It will also aid the career of these artists (who will receive a percentage of the proceeds), and allow the Special Yoga Centre to continue it’s invaluable practice with the aid of the auction proceeds.

Committee members are:
Damian Barr – The Times
Jonni Fitzgerald – Fashion Stylist
Lucy Meakin – All Visual Arts
Meritaten Mance – Mance & Rose PR
Tiger Savage – Creative Director, M& C Saatchi
Iram Qurashi – Cultural Consultant
Irshaard Ibrahim – Director of Sleep Clinic
Paddy Barstow – ART MOSH
Rachael Barratt – Kultureflash Art Editor
Sydney Levinson – Rhodes & Rhodes

The last auction at the Special Yoga Centre was featured in the Evening Standard, London Paper, Daily Express and Daily Mail. Watch This Space will curate the auction and take care of the PR. Watch This Space have already been featured by BBC News, New York Times, International Herald Tribune, Evening Standard, Amelia’s Magazine, MySpace, Art Daily and The London Paper.

For further information go to http://www.watch-this-space.org/

or contact Lee Johnson on lee@watch-this-space.org

or Bakul Pakti on bakul@watch-this-space.org

The Special Yoga Centre, The Tay Building, 2a Wrentham Avenue London NW10

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Look forward to the auction Julie.
Best wishes, Anna Dickerson

Anonymous said...

Welcome to the blog world. I look forward to reading more about you and your art in comeing weeks and months. Good luck with auction. Hope goes well. It looks like a great cause. A x