Artist STIK and London’s Southbank Centre are teaming up to raise thousands of pounds to fund free creative events and activities for Imagine Children’s Festival, the UK’s leading arts festival for children 0-11 years. A unique set of six artist’s proofs by STIK will feature in Christie’s Post-War and Contemporary Art Day Sale on Thursday 29 June.
STIK is known for his minimalist figurative stick man style and large permanent bronze sculpture ‘Holding Hands’ in East London’s Hoxton Square. STIK has made artworks for the NHS, BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, and the London Borough of Hackney. His public murals can be found in London, New York, and Tokyo.
Earlier this year STIK hosted STIK STAMP, a nine-day series of free workshops, at the Southbank Centre which saw 3,500 children lift one of six life-sized inked rubber stamps – hand-carved by STIK and featuring his minimalist ‘stick man’ figure – onto 100% wove hemp paper. Jumping, stomping and stamping, each child created their own unique version of the monochrome print to take home. To continue the legacy of STAMP and support access to art making, STIK has now donated his original, signed artist’s proofs from his own archive to the Southbank Centre so that they can raise funds for their free programme during the Imagine Children’s Festival.
The Southbank Centre’s Imagine Children’s Festival is a vibrant cross-arts programme featuring over 100 music, storytelling, comedy, dance, and visual arts events plus interactive activities. At the heart of the festival is a series of free activities that make up 50% of the programme, which is open to children from all backgrounds and abilities. To continue to offer extensive high-quality activities for free the Southbank Centre depends on the generosity of private donors and funders. STIK’s contribution will support the festival’s 2024 free programme which reaches thousands of children.
The artist shares, “I made these artist’s proof prints during the children’s workshop to capture the chaos and energy of the event. It has been an honour to work with the Southbank Centre and I hope this sale helps provide more free events at next year’s children’s festival.”
Ruth Hardie, Head of Public Programming at the Southbank Centre, says: “Imagine Children’s Festival provides the opportunity each year for 30,000 children and their families to experience free art activities. STIK STAMP was one of the most popular elements of our 2023 festival. Funds raised from Christie’s auction of STIK’s six prints will go towards Imagine’s vital free inclusive programme ensuring every child regardless of their background has a space to play, create art and express themselves.”
The Auction is a unique opportunity to purchase the only set of artist’s-proofs, made by the artist during the STAMP event at the Southbank Centre. Signed and numbered by STIK, each print is additionally marked with the studio insignia. The prints were made by stamping on hand-carved life-size rubber stamps, which were later destroyed. These six prints form part of an animation, which along with images of the prints made at the children’s workshop, will be premiered at Glastonbury Festival in June 2023. They will be offered as a framed set with a low estimate of £15,000 at Christie’s in London as part of the Post-War and Contemporary Art Day Sale on Thursday 29 June.
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