7 Benefit Sales Supporting Earthquake Relief Efforts in Turkey and Syria
In the aftermath of the series of earthquakes that devastated parts of Turkey and Syria in February, artists, arts organizations, and other arts professionals have teamed up to raise funds to support those impacted by the disaster. Here, we share an auction and several other sales of artworks that are continuing to raise funds for earthquake relief efforts.
“NYC Culture Club and TPF for Turkey Aid: Benefit Auction 2023”
Auction live on Artsy through May 25
Turkish Philanthropy Funds and NYC Culture Club have collaborated on a benefit auction to support survivors of the Turkey-Syria Earthquake. Proceeds from the sale (100% of the hammer price) will go to two organizations: Darüşşafaka Society and Turkish Education Foundation. Hosted exclusively online on Artsy, the sale runs until 12:00pm EDT on Thursday May 25th, and features nearly 80 works by a wide range of contemporary artists from across the globe. Highlights include works by Derek Weisberg, Lydia Nobles, Kevin Claiborne, Enrique Martínez Celaya, Chellis Baird, Jared Owens, Yasmine Nasser Diaz, and Minku Kim.
“Ethan Cohen Gallery in Support of Turkey–Syria Earthquake Relief: Benefit Auction 2023”
Auction live on Artsy, Mar. 28–Apr. 11
Exhibition on view at Ethan Cohen Gallery, Mar. 30–Apr. 1
This in-person exhibition and online auction—organized by the New York–based Ethan Cohen Gallery, the artist-run initiative Elma, and Artsy—is supporting the charitable organizations Turkish Philanthropy Funds and Open Arms. With more than 80 participating artists, the benefit sale features works by a range of emerging and established contemporary artists, including Jordan Wolfson, Sarp Kerem Yavuz, Loren Erdrich, Wendy White, and Serkan Özkaya.
“5 YEARS: an ART FOR CHANGE Survey”
ART FOR CHANGE, online
ART FOR CHANGE, the print publisher known for collaborating with artists on limited editions that benefit social causes, recently celebrated its five-year anniversary with an exhibition at Kravets Wehby Gallery in New York, with proceeds from sales going towards the International Rescue Committee’s humanitarian aid efforts in Syria and Turkey in the wake of the earthquakes. While the exhibition recently closed, the prints are still for sale via Art for Change, including a new hand-embellished canvas print by Olivier Souffrant, released specially for the occasion.
Richard Long, WAR PAINT ON SLATE
Migrate Art, online
Migrate Art, an organization focused on raising funds for humanitarian efforts through art, recently collaborated with artist Richard Long on a new limited-edition print to benefit the White Helmets and the Great Oven. The piece, a photopolymer etching titled WAR PAINT ON SLATE (2023), is based on an original work he made with his fingerprints, a piece of slate, and a type of paint made by Migrate Art, called Scorched Earth, which incorporates ash from Iraqi Kurdistan’s burnt crop fields. “Humanitarian aid is much needed in our cruel and fateful world,” Long said in a statement. “I often make drawings with my fingerprints: my human touch. Fingerprints are both universal and individually unique.”
Hito Steyerl, “Contemporary Cave Art”
Esther Schipper, Berlin, opening Apr. 28
Hito Steyerl, Animal Spirits, 2022 (detail). Single channel HD video, live computer simulation, sensor devices, glass spheres, organic materials. Duration: 24 min; simulation duration variable; dimensions variable. Courtesy the artist, Andrew Kreps Gallery, New York, and Esther Schipper, Berlin/Paris/Seoul. ©The artist / VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2023 / Photo ©Kunsthaus Graz/N. Lackner.
During Gallery Weekend Berlin in late April, Hito Steyerl is opening her first solo exhibition at Esther Schipper, “Contemporary Cave Art,” which considers post-pandemic culture through a site-specific, “cave-like” environment featuring a video installation and live computer-generated animation. Steyerl is selling the illuminated glass spheres that are found throughout the exhibition to raise money for earthquake relief efforts—specifically, funds will be donated to Jinwar, a village for women and children in Northern Syria, to build a health center.
“HUMANITY - A SURVEY OF OUR TIMES”
Hilton | Asmus Contemporary, online on Artsy, Mar. 2–Apr. 28
Chicago-based gallery Hilton | Asmus Contemporary has organized “HUMANITY - A SURVEY OF OUR TIMES,” an online exhibition with proceeds benefiting earthquake relief for Turkey and Syria. The show, which is exclusively on Artsy, features works by a range of international artists, including photography by Syrian artist Osama Esber and Turkish artist Ibrahim Kalin. The cause has a personal resonance for Arica Hilton, the gallery’s CEO, who lost multiple relatives in the tragedy.
Pictures for Purpose
Online, through Mar. 30
Olgaç Bozalp, Antakya, August, 2022 ©Olgaç Bozalp.
Sarah van Rij, Untitled, 2020 ©Sarah van Rij.
For the fourth time, the Pictures for Purpose team has assembled a print sale to raise funds for an urgent cause—this time, victims of the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, with proceeds going to two voluntary aid organizations: Ahbap and White Helmets. The sale, which closes this Thursday, March 30th, features limited editions by artists Sarah van Rij, Lea Colombo, and Olgaç Bozalp, and open editions by over 30 artists, including Farah Al Qasimi, Yusuf Sevinçli, Gün Solène Şahmaran, Devin Yalke, Carmen Winant, and Daisuke Yokota.
