More than 160 artists selling their work to raise funds for medical, humanitarian aid in Gaza – The Art Newspaper

More than 160 artists have donated their work to an online charity auction, with 100% of proceeds going toward Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) to support humanitarian relief efforts in the Gaza Strip, where the lion’s share of buildings and infrastructure have been damaged or destroyed since the start of the Israel-Hamas war. The 100 Artists for Gaza sale, organised by the artists Mai-Thu Perret, Vidya Gastaldon, Sarah Benslimane and art specialist Anne Lamunière, will raise funds for the Geneva-based international humanitarian medical organisation, which has a five-decade history of working on the ground in Palestine.

Since Hamas’s attack on 7 October 2023, which killed more than 1,200 Israelis and in which more than 250 people were taken hostage, nearly 70,000 Palestinians are estimated to have been killed in Gaza, many of the victims women and children, according to the local heath authority. In September, a United Nations commission of inquiry found Israel had committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.

While the sale is titled “100 Artists for Gaza”, the sale actually currently includes works by 168 artists. The organisers originally aimed for 100 participants, but the number of artists who followed through on contributing works exceeded their expectations. The work has been exhibited at the Médecins Sans Frontières headquarters in Geneva since 11 November.

“People are very enthusiastic. It’s quite moving to see all of these things together, because everyone has their own way of responding,” Perret says. “Some artists sent in old works, some people responded directly in relation to the issue.”

Artists taking part include Kara Walker, Wolfgang Tillmans, Peter Doig and Olafur Eliasson. Lamunière says the fundraiser’s highlights for her include a subtle spray paint on paper work by the French artist Isabelle Cornaro showing a minimalist version of the Palestinian flag, and a print from the Mexican photographer Cristina Mittermeier. Artists of Palestinian descent taking part in the sale include Reema Nubani and Rosalind Nashashibi. Each work in the sale measures roughly 8in by 12in.

“The idea was that works could be shipped from all over the world for as little as possible, and that every artist could express themselves in that format, whether it was watercolour, collage or photo,” says Lamunière.

While the online sale concludes in a live auction on 2 December, potential bidders have registered from more than 30 countries and have already raised nearly SFr150,000 ($185,000). The organisers say they hope to double that figure in the final tally. During the Geneva auction, friends of the organisers will host watch parties for the sale all over the world, from a pub in Liverpool to a private home in Beirut.

“It will be kind of a world event, rather than just something happening here in Geneva,” Lamunière says. “Whether people are going to be bidding or just show their presence and support during the sale, I think that’s kind of a magical thing.”