Motivated by the Black Lives Matter movement and recent protests in Australia and overseas, a group of emerging Sydney artists have banded together to support the movement in the best way they know how – with art.
This weekend you can snag some work from up-and-coming local artists from as little as $30, with 100 per cent of the proceeds going to the Aboriginal Legal Service, an organisation that fights for the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in NSW and the ACT. More than 25 artists have donated works to the silent auction, ranging from paintings and prints to ceramics and sculptures.
You have a couple of options for checking out the collection and making a bid. The works will be on display from Friday, June 26 to Sunday, June 28, at 321 Crown Projects, a project space run by artists for artists in Surry Hills (find out more about the space’s projects on Instagram). To abide by physical distancing protocols, up to six people are allowed in the gallery at any one time. You can avoid a wait by booking in your visit over here. If you’d rather not head out into the city, you can get bidding updates and make bids on individual items over on the Instagram page, @silent_auction_blm.
Artists Support BLM has been wrangled together by emerging artist Beatrice Buckland-Willis, a third-year printmaking student at the National Art School, with a small group of art students also volunteering their time and skills to help the auction run smoothly. See the Facebook event page for more details.
Find out how you can support First Nations and other social justice organisations here.