House of Vans London and The Auction Collective combined fine art and skate culture by holding a virtual 360° exhibition in House of Vans London’s gallery space, followed by a live fundraising auction, to raise £13,500 for leading youth homelessness charity Centrepoint.
The exhibition and subsequent auction featured customised skateboards from an eclectic mix of artists including street artists, emerging artists and Royal Academicians. Namely, contemporary artist Grayson Perry, graphic and interior designer: Camille Walala, LA-based street artist: Mr Brainwash, urban artist D*Face, Royal Academician Yinka Shonibare and up and coming painters Charley Peters and Rene Gonzalez. Mr Brainwash’s skateboard ‘Love is the answer’ was the highest seller, at £2,200: https://theauctioncollective.com/auctions/objet-dart-the-skateboard-decks/love-is-the-answer/.
One of the 19 customised skateboards that made up ‘Objects of Art | The Skateboards’, was designed by Lewis, a young person living in a Centrepoint hostel. His Japanese mythology-influenced design sold for over £220.
Lewis, who found himself in foster care at the age of 7 and now lives in a Centrepoint London hostel while studying games design at university, said,
“The design on my skateboard is influenced by Japanese mythology and highlights the side of my culture I didn’t touch growing up. I always pushed my Asian background aside as people at school used to pick on me for it; tease me for being different. Now I want to explore this side of me.
“I felt proud of myself when I saw the design. It validated the fact that I do have the potential to do things like this as a career. I’m quite critical of myself and my work, but when I saw my design on the deck I was really happy with the way it turned out.”
With the coronavirus pandemic causing the cancellation of fundraising events this year, Centrepoint needs help now more than ever. Between January and March 2019, an estimated 24,455 young people approached their local council in England because they were homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. Since the start of the pandemic, 78% of councils have seen an increase in homelessness, and Centrepoint is now seeing an increase of around 50% in calls to the Helpline from young people facing homelessness.
74% of councils now foresee an increase in homelessness in the coming months.
The auction took place online on Wednesday 18th November and raised £13,500 for Centrepoint and the homeless young people living in the hostels. To catch the highlights and view the unique skateboard designs, take the VR gallery tour here: https://www.houseofvanslondon.com/event/objects-of-art
