CHOOSE LOVE CHARITY AUCTION

As the UK sees an influx of refugees arriving at its borders and with the recent devastation caused by a fire at the Moria refugee camp in Greece, London art gallery, Leontia Gallery, is raising money and awareness to help the refugee crisis by auctioning original artworks and limited edition prints from its collection of international artists. 100% of its profits will go to the charity Help Refugees/Choose Love, which since inception have been supported by many famous artists including Anish Kapoor, Anthony Gormley and Ai Wei Wei, as well as celebrity endorsement of the Choose Love apparel worn by Oprah, Julia Roberts and Phoebe Waller-Bridge, among many. 

The private art gallery has hosted many successful pop up exhibitions throughout London and has firmly established itself amongst the edgy face of the Art world, with an impressive selection of high-profile artists and clients. 

Owner and curator of the Gallery, Leontia Reilly, spoke about the concept: 

“We chose the help refugees charity because of its reputation as a humanitarian organisation, 100% of the profits go to the cause and we felt that Choose Love really conveyed the message of what we are trying to do. This year has been a shock to the system and many of us have felt isolated and helpless, our lives have been turned upside down and it really allowed us to gain perspective; this is the reality for displaced people everyday. The online auction will run from October 21st until Tuesday 27th of October. We will feature 7 artworks over 7 days from 7 different artists and bidding is online via our website www.leontiagallery.com or the link in our bio on Instagram. We chose to do this auction exclusively online in the face of the pandemic and to retain our ethos of accessibility“ 

Catalogues are available to view on the galleries website, www.leontiagallery.com and anyone interested in bidding on an exclusive piece can log onto Instagram to view the artworks and place a bid by following the link, or by visiting the galleries website throughout the day to place a bid. Bidding will start at 10am 21st October and end 27th October at 7pm

Artworks for the auction have been specifically made by the artists for the charity or have been hand selected by the curators, making this a wonderful opportunity to buy a unique piece of artwork to support a really important cause. 

Artists include ​Magnus Gjoen​; an international artist whose collectors include Kate Moss and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Gjoen will be donating one of his newest pieces for the auction. 

Lauren Baker​, an international artist ​whose large-scale installations have been commissioned throughout the UK and the as far as the middle east, described as “highly collectable” by M&C Saatchi. 

Lauren Baker has made an edition especially for the auction, the edition is from her “Choose Love” neon work. 

Lee Ellis, ​a rising British multi-media ​artist​ based in Bristol will be donating a large striking original painting for the charity. 

Roberto Voorbij​ is donating his newest edition “Flora” a multimedia piece. Roberto is a Dutch conceptual artist. 

Steven Quinn​, Belfast born artist who has worked alongside Damien Hirst is auctioning off an original collage. His work often combines his own photography with cut-outs from vintage magazines, he plays with imagery to create often apocalyptic, sometimes humorous narratives. 

Carne Griffiths​ is donating a stunning new original piece, prints will be available to purchase after the auction with profits going to Help The Refugees. 

Alexandra Gallagher​ will be donating a stunning first edition of her piece “Transition Of Hope” Alexandra is an award-winning artist whose work has been featured on Grand designs. 

Help Refugees / Choose Love was born from a simple hashtag that spiralled a movement that shows in the face of apathy and injustice that we don’t have to stand by and watch; we can act. Founded in 2015 in response to the humanitarian emergency in Calais, northern France, they now support over 120 grassroots projects in Europe, the UK, the Middle East and on the US-Mexico Border. They support everything from lifesaving search and rescue boats, to food provision, legal support and safe spaces for LGBTQIA+ refugees and unaccompanied children.