Peter Doig, Maggi Hambling CBE, Corbin Shaw, Unskilled Worker and over 50 more visual artists respond to Kate Bush’s Running Up That Hill to raise funds for War Child, the specialist charity for children caught in conflict
This October, Kate Bush and Art on a Postcard invite 52 artists to respond to a lyric from her iconic 1985 anthem Running Up That Hill, in aid of War Child, for the return of Sound & Vision, an innovative fundraising initiative, exhibition and auction pairing music and art to raise vital funds to support children caught in war zones around the world.
The lyric inspiring the art, chosen by Kate herself, is “And if I only could, I’d make a deal with God.” 2025 also marks the 40th anniversary of Running Up That Hill and the Hounds of Love album.
“All wars leave horrific scars; ruined lives, families ripped apart, life-changing injuries, trauma, and loss on a massive scale – but it’s the children who suffer the most in so many ways. Their past, present and future melt away into fear and uncertainty. It is more important than ever we support War Child and their invaluable work providing immediate aid to children caught in conflict all over the world including in Ukraine, Gaza, Sudan, and Syria. Projects like Sound & Vision harness the power of art and music to make a real difference to children living through war. Thank you for supporting this project.”
– Kate Bush
Artists taking part include Maggi Hambling CBE. Dubbed “the original bad girl of British art”, Hambling’s seismic, seven-decade contribution is held in the permanent collections of the National Portrait Gallery, Tate, National Gallery – where Hambling was the Gallery’s first artist-in-residence – V&A, Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, and agenda-setting, landmark public sculptures.
Peter Doig who has just opened a great exhibition House of Music at Serpentine Gallery, is widely seen as one of Britain’s most important living painters. His paintings break records at auctions – with Swamped selling for $39.9m in 2021. For War Child’s Sound & Vision 2025, Doig has put forward two original artworks.
When she was selected as the Official War Artist with the British Army in Afghanistan, Charlie Calder-Potts became Britain’s youngest female war artist. Since then, she has travelled the world, creating work in Iran, Pakistan, Tajikistan, and at Yazidi refugee camps in Iraq, weaving heritage and history to reveal our human similarities across generations and countries.
Also contributing is Unskilled Worker. After discovering painting at age 48, in just two years Unskilled Worker aka Helen Dowdie shot to industry-wide fame, growing an Instagram following of more than 280k followers. The self-taught painter has won international acclaim from Vogue, The New York Times, Vanity Fair, Harper’s Bazaar, i-D, Dazed, and The Sunday Times.
Corbin Shaw, has built a cult following making textiles, prints, and flags that capture modern day Britishness through ancient crafts – inspired by the Sheffield football terraces, boxing gyms and pubs the artist grew up in. Following collaborations with Women’s Aid, Nia Archives, Fred Perry, Martin Parr, and the Pet Shop Boys, Shaw continues his undeniable breakthrough moment with new work for War Child’s Sound & Vision 2025.
Another highlight is Susie Hamilton, the beloved painter and former artist-in-residence at St Paul’s Cathedral whose portraits of doctors, nurses and patients facing Covid-19 are held by The Science Museum. Hamilton’s other work can be found in the art collections of Damien Hirst, The Economist, and the University of Cambridge.
Future Awards Africawinner Ayobola Kekere-Ekun, whose Resilient Lines exhibition in Lagos was backed by Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz, also contributes.
London-based Ghanaian artist Godfried Donkor was Ghana’s representative to the 2001 Venice Biennale, and his work is in the collection of the National Museum African Art at the Smithsonian.
Curated by Art on a Postcard founder Gemma Peppé, Sound & Vision 2025 also features new work from LUAP, Hannah Lim, Kate McCrickard, Erin Lawlor, Gill Button, Adam Dix, David Harrison, Gideon Rubin, Boo Saville, Shezad Dawood, Natalia González Martín and returning to Sound & Vision for 2025 Peter Messer and Nick Grindrod.
Running Up That Hill is one of Kate Bush’s best-loved songs. Written and produced by Bush, the 1985 single has been hailed “one of the greatest songs of all time” by Rolling Stone. In 2022, it was featured in the fourth season of Stranger Things, and the song became a global hit once again with a new audience. Kate Bush has had 25 UK top 40 hits, 2 UK Number 1s, and a string of globally adored, groundbreaking albums. A singer, songwriter, producer, director, and global icon; her creativity has seen her produce combined visual and audio works with the success of her songs and music videos Cloudbusting, Experiment IV and Army Dreamers, and her highly acclaimed live show “Before the Dawn’.
The unforgettable innovation, influence, and magic of Kate Bush remain one of British music’s proudest achievements. War Child UK is honoured to have Kate Bush lead the second edition of Sound & Vision. War Child protects, educates, and stands up for the rights of children living in war zones. War Child provides vital support to children and their families in fourteen countries across Europe, Asia and the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America. Working in some of the hardest to reach parts of the world, War Child is present in a number of active conflict zones, including Ukraine and Gaza. The charity responds to emergency crisis situations with immediate aid, keeps children safe, and stays long after the cameras are gone to support children with processing their trauma, and rebuilding their lives. War Child understands children’s needs and respects their rights.
“The combination of responding to Kate Bush’s lyric and raising money for War Child’s work has prompted some great contemporary artists to produce some vibrant and evocative work. Not many people know that Peter Doig asked us if he could take part via David Harrison. I nearly fell off my chair. That’s a testament to the great work War Child does.”
Curator Gemma Peppe, Founder of Art on a Postcard
Sound & Vision 2025 Tuesday 4th – Saturday 8th November Iconic Images Gallery
Private View by Invitation 4th November 2025 6PM-9PM
Online Auction Tuesday 28th October – Thursday 13th November closing 3PM BST (10AM EST)
DHL are kindly sponsoring Sound & Vision and additionally providing logistical support to facilitate the delivery of the stunning artworks to the exhibition. As such, DHL are playing an active role in this inspiring initiative, where creativity and compassion have come together for the benefit of children caught in conflict zones around the world.
About
War Child is driven by a single goal – ensuring a safe future for every child affected by war. War Child works in some of the hardest-to-reach places to support those who are hardest hit. It aims to reach children as quickly as possible when conflict breaks out and stays long after the cameras have gone to support them through their recovery. War Child works with local communities and governments to help protect and educate children, and support them to heal and learn, for a safer, brighter future. Because one child caught up in conflict is one child too many. War Child understands children’s needs, respects and stands up for their rights, and puts them at the centre of everything it does. War Child boldly campaigns on the root causes of conflict and helps to amplify children’s voices, so that it can advocate for change on the issues that matter to them. Together with its partners, War Child delivers vital work in 14 countries across Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America. Every day, its local teams are in communities and refugee camps creating safe spaces for children to play, learn, and access psychological support. War Child also specialises in responding rapidly to emergency crisis situations as they happen, offering immediate and critical aid to keep children safe and help them through their trauma. War Child will never give up on children affected by conflict. Registered charity number: 1071659
@warchilduk
Art on a Postcard (AOAP) raises money for The Hepatitis C Trust and its campaign to eliminate hepatitis C in the UK by the year 2030. In 2014 Art on a Postcard was intended to be a one-off secret postcard auction, but it went so well that it spawned a small industry. Artists and photographers who have taken part in their auctions include Damien Hirst, Gavin Turk, Marc Quinn, Gilbert and George, Peter Blake RA, Hurvin Anderson, Grayson Perry RA, Larry Clark, Martin Parr, Michael Craig Martin RA, Chantal Joffe RA, Joan Snyder, Claudette Johnson, Mali Morris RA, Genieve Figgis, Vanessa Jackson RA, Rebecca Salter RA, Anne Desmet RA, Catherine Opie, Wolfgang Tillmans, Paula Rego, Julian Opie, Hassan Hajajj, Cecily Brown, Harland Miller, Marina Abramovi?, Florine Démosthène, Lubaina Himid and Jeremy Deller.
Almost a decade later, AOAP has several outstanding events under their belts including partnerships with The Other Art Fair and Photo London and annual outings with Art Car Boot Fair. Their work has also won awards for innovative fundraising initiatives and they have expanded their efforts to support additional charities such as War Child UK and Choose Love. In addition to the annual auctions AOAP have a print shop which includes a catalogue of contemporary art prints and a number of sell out print editions including Hate’s Outta Date by Harland Miller. @artonapostcard
