Launched in 2014, Art on a Postcard is a secret postcard auction raising money for the Hepatitis C Trust. To date it has garnered the support of more than 350 artists including Marc Quinn, Damian Hirst, Sam Taylor-Johnson and Gilbert & George, this year, contributing artists include Sir Peter Blake, Polly Morgan, David Shrigley, Harland Miller, Vanessa Gardiner, Jake and Dinos Chapman, Chantal Joffe and John Wragg, all of whom have created tiny, original works exclusively for the Trust.
The 2014 auction was a huge success, capturing the imagination of the public and artists alike, creating a very unique opportunity for anyone to purchase valuable and collectable works of art for as little as £50, the starting bid for all pieces of artwork.
This year the artworks will be available to view online from 15th October, at The Auction Room, an online auction site specialising in collectible works of art. The exhibition will be open to the public on Tuesday 10th November, at the Soho Revue in Greek Street, London, a gallery that champions artists who exist outside of the predictability of the art establishment, and will close on Thursday 12th November.
Charles Gore, CEO of The Hepatitis C Trust, explains
‘We believe we can eliminate hepatitis C over the next 15 years if we are able to continue the vital work we do. Our plan is to close the charity and put ourselves out jobs. Our Art on a Postcard campaign has been extremely beneficial in driving the Trust towards this goal. We are very grateful to the generous and on-going support we receive from artists.’
The initiative has raised more than £50,000, helping to work towards eliminating hepatitis as a major health concern in the UK.
Soho Revue Gallery, 14 Greek Street, W1 9th – 12th November 2015, 10am – 6pm
www.artonapostcard.com www.theauctionroom.com www.sohorevue.com
An estimated 214,000 people in the UK live with hepatitis C although only half of those are diagnosed. New drugs are becoming available with better cure rates but awareness is dangerously low. If nothing is done about rates of diagnoses and treatment there will be a 30% rise in deaths from decompensated cirrhosis and liver cancer due to the hepatitis C virus by 2025. Unlike other cancers, liver cancer is one of the few cancers which is on the rise in the UK.
About The Hepatitis C Trust
The Hepatitis C Trust is the only UK-wide charity focused on hepatitis C, supporting the estimated 214,000 people living with the virus and those at risk of infection. It is led and driven by people with personal experience of hepatitis C. The Trust is committed to increasing prevention, diagnosis and treatment and achieves this by raising awareness, driving policy and providing testing, training and support. www.hepctrust.org.uk
About The Auction Room
The Auction Room, was launched in 2013 by George Bailey, previously Managing Director of Sotheby’s, and Lucinda Blythe, who also worked at Sotheby’s for 17 years. The Auction Room combines the expertise and authenticity of a traditional auction house with the accessibility, efficiency and cutting-edge technology of its online format. The online catalogue for this auction will go live one month before the auction date, at www.theauctionroom.com when clients can place Lot Alerts: to remind them when to bid on their preferred lots, or place Absentee Bids immediately where they leave a maximum bid and the system will execute it on their behalf. The Auction Room uses its own unique online auction software which recreates the drama and excitement of a traditional auction, using sound effects, bidding aliases and a virtual representation of a gallery wall – all online.
About Soho Revue Gallery
Located in the heart of Soho, the Revue Gallery takes its lead from the counter-cultural imperative of the area. Selecting artists who are at a formative stage in their careers, the gallery offers them an exceptional space in which to exhibit while supporting the inception and realisation of challenging projects, leaning towards a process-based practice and championing genuine innovation within medium.
Soho Revue offers non-establishment artists an establishment space to exhibit in one of the most culturally dynamic quarters of central London. This mission generates a strong media interest around their exhibition programme. The team uses the gallery’s prime location to expose their artists to the broad collector base centered in the area.
The Revue Gallery encourages the exploration of new forms of artistic activity. Committed to providing a forum for discourse between the most exciting talents in all major artistic fields. This cross-pollination of ideas is underpinned by the academic rigour of artists, writers, curators and editors. This conversation is presented via their in-house publication, The Soho Revue.
Artists
Bob & Roberta Smith, Peter Blake, Carol Robertson, Archie Franks, Rodney Peppe, Trevor Sutton, Chantal Joffe, Susan Howells, Alex Cree, Stephen Chambers, Lois Wallace, Melissa Scott-Miller, Louise Stebbing, Robert James Clarke, Ellie Geary, Andrew MacIntosh, Nici Bungey, Jane Bustin, Helen Green, Stuart Semple, Georgina Allen, Natso Seki, Marion Archer, Jason Brown, Jane Rye, Jessica Jane Charlton, David Andrew, Harriet Horton, Daisy Cook, Patrick Gildersleeves, Danielle Hodson, Benjamin Murphy, Jeremy Deller, Rosie Irvine, John Wragg, Patrick Wilkins, Neil Pittaway, Luciana Meazza, Vanessa Gardiner, Virginia Verran, Carys Evans, David Shrigley, Dan Lewis, Mick Rooney, Rebecca Salter, Alice Leach, Jean Samtula, Mandy Payne, Vincent Hawkins, Melanie Miller, Gerogina Peskett, Alicia Rothman, Anna Gardiner Robert Verral, Nick Bridson Baker, Pippa Blake, Paul Regan, Gilbert & George, Tim Noble, Scarlett Carlos Clar
