Breath of Life

However, this is no ordinary portfolio; it is part of the Mending Broken Hearts Art Appeal: an ongoing effort to raise awareness and funds for the British Heart Foundation (BHF) through the use of contemporary art. These images will become icons used by the BHF to promote their activities across the country, harnessing the unique power of art to grab our attention and to move us.

The group of artists taking part in this project is a cross-section of all that’s best about British contemporary art: Sir Peter Blake, Maurice Cockrill RA, Brad Faine, Duggie Fields, the late Donald Hamilton Fraser RA, Gerard Hemsworth, Maggi Hambling CBE, John Hoyland RA, Patrick Hughes, Bruce McLean, Antony Micallef, Brendan Neiland, Tom Phillips CBE RA, Barbara Rae CBE RA, and Storm Thorgerson. Breath of Life is unique in bringing together this particular set of artists for the first time. That they have all taken inspiration from the same theme gives a very rare opportunity to compare their concepts, making the portfolio very collectable.

Each of the artists was asked to create an original artwork based on the theme ‘mending broken hearts’: a universal theme with endless possibilities that sums up the work of the BHF. As you can see by glancing at the following few pages, each artist’s interpretation is completely unique and the images as a group are as diverse as they are beautiful. This diversity is essential to what the BHF is trying to achieve: to put contemporary art into the mainstream public view and to use its power to make people think. Everybody will see different things in a work of art and have a different emotional response to it; this is the beauty of the Mending Broken Hearts Art Appeal. Of these 15 images there will be one or two for everyone that particularly appeal to us or relate to an experience we have been through. In the end, Breath of Life is about the redemptive power of love, about triumph over adversity, about hope and science combining to conquer heart disease. This positive message encapsulates what the BHF are trying to achieve; to find a way to repair damaged hearts and save millions of lives.

All publishers’ profits from sales of the Breath of Life portfolio will be donated to the BHF. This money will be used to help fund a programme of medical research into regenerative medicine. The BHF’s long term goal is to enable the heart to repair itself once it has been damaged; having a heart attack would therefore become no more serious than breaking an arm. The development of regenerative techniques will help to save millions of lives. Nadja Hale of the BHF explains the importance of the Mending Broken Hearts Art Appeal,

‘The proceeds of the Art Project will go to the Mending Broken Hearts Appeal. This is the British Heart Foundation’s biggest fundraising appeal ever, which is being launched to celebrate the charity’s 50th anniversary in 2011. The BHF has decided to mark 50 years of saving lives through cutting edge research by raising £50million to fund a specific programme of regenerative medicine that will include stem cell research. Unfortunately, the heart is unable to repair itself so for example, when a heart attack occurs and a portion of the heart dies, this damage is currently irreversible and leads to debilitating symptoms and premature death. This appeal could change all that.

The BHF has been overwhelmed by the response of the artists who have contributed to this project, lending their limited time and considerable talents to produce incredible works of art for the Appeal. Beyond simple fundraising, this project has presented the work of the BHF to an entirely new audience through the medium of art.  It has been inspirational to see how the artists have translated the ‘Mending Broken Hearts’ concept in such diverse and beautiful ways.’

For the artists that have contributed to Breath of Life helping the BHF to achieve this amazing goal was at the heart of their work. As Brendan Neiland says, ‘Using contemporary art to raise awareness of the BHF is a brilliant idea. It is an absolute step forward. What we have in Britain is the foremost artistic talent in the world, for the BHF to use this creative talent as well as standard advertising methods allows a completely different approach. Artists use their creative freedom to respond to their own idea of ‘mending broken hearts’ and therefore bring endless possibilities to the table. I have been incredibly impressed by the breadth of vision and interpretation.’

For many of the artists involved with the project, the work of the BHF has personal significance. I asked Duggie Fields why he had taken part,  ‘ I was very happy to be given the opportunity. My Father died of heart disease in the late 1960s, so I am very aware of the devastating effect of it on peoples’ lives. To make a contribution towards lessening its impact on others was irresistible, and it was also a great group of artists to be included with.’ Duggie’s statement of the private impact of heart disease on his own life reinforces the fact that all of us have been affected by it in some way, whether directly or indirectly. That is why helping the BHF is so important.

Breath of Life ranges from the child-like innocence and joy of Patrick Hughes’ Cloudy, to the dark melancholic emotional power of Antony Micallef’s I Brake Everything, to the witty word play of Tom Phillips’ Take Art for the Heart and the abstract exuberance of John Hoyland’s Soulless Stars Cascade. Each image has a story behind it and each has personal resonance for the artist. One of the loveliest stories is that behind Donald Hamilton Fraser’s Valentine. Fraser sadly passed away in September last year, but had been keen to take part in the Mending Broken Hearts Art Appeal. Honouring his wishes, his widow Judith gave CCA Galleries access to a Valentines card that Fraser had made for her, feeling that the image would be particularly appropriate. Every year Fraser made his wife a Valentines card, which Judy would then keep in a collection that spanned their sixty-year marriage. Valentine is one of those precious testaments of his love that perfectly captures the power of art to mend the heart.

One of the youngest artists to contribute to Breath of Life is Antony Micallef whose image I Brake Everything has caused a huge buzz from excited collectors. Micallef, whose work has been exhibited all over the world, including the Royal Academy and National Portrait Gallery combines exquisite draughtsmanship with raw emotion in this study of the power of love. Mending Broken Hearts by Sir Peter Blake will be the lead image in the BHF’s appeal, and over the coming year will become instantly recognisable nationwide. Blake (a patron of the Mending Broken Hearts Appeal) has created classic pop art composition that is reminiscent of his iconic works I Love You and Q is for Quarters. His bold colours and geometric forms create a sophisticated balance of form.

Storm Thorgerson has adapted his iconic album cover artwork for Dark Side of the Moon to create Teardrop, a softer and more emotional rendering of this classic image. The theme of healing is brilliantly taken up by Bruce McLean in Healing Garden, a vibrant collaged piece with the bold compositional elements that we have come to expect from McLean. Both Gerard Hemsworth and Duggie Fields use cartoon-like linear images that subvert viewers’ expectations in Brief Encounter and Madonna and Heart. Alternatively, works such as Clare’s Inspiration by Maurice Cockrill and Sunrise Heart by Maggi Hambling are much more transparent in the joy and optimism they convey, both artists choose to base their composition around a heart-shape, suffusing the paper with colour and movement.

Brendan Neiland and Barbara Rae have taken inspiration from the urban environment; in Calypso Neiland uses the neon lights of Las Vegas to create a ‘sign’ reminding us to take care of our hearts. Barbara Rae has based Repare! Por Favor on the graffiti and street posters of Madrid, using text to reinforce her message. Finally Brad Faine uses visual and textual wit to encapsulate mending broken hearts. He juxtaposes the popular sweets Love Heart-s with their phrases such as ‘kiss me’ etc, with a grid of text made up of scientific words relating to heart health.

The Mending Broken Hearts Art Appeal encompasses much more than just the Breath of Life portfolio. In order to disseminate the artworks as far and wide as possible and raise the maximum amount of money for the BHF, CCA Galleries has planned a three-tier approach to the appeal. A group of original paintings and works on paper was auctioned earlier in the year, with a second auction planned for a further group of original paintings to be held at a later date. As well as Breath of Life there will be a second portfolio of original limited edition silkscreen prints: Joy of Life that will be launched in February 2011. Artists that will contribute to Joy of Life include Gary Hume, Adrian Berg, Gavin Turk, Simon Periton, Michael Craig-Martin, Rob Ryan and Jonathan Yeo- with more names to be revealed over the coming months. Finally, the BHF will use the images in a range of merchandising to be sold in their shops across the country next year.

Breath of Life can be seen in exhibition from June at Innocent Fine Art, Bristol, Railings Gallery, Marylebone and Brook Gallery, Buddleigh Salterton, and at various galleries across the UK in coming months, please ring CCA Galleries for further details.

Breath of Life purchased from www.ccagalleries.com. Artworks can be purchased individually or as a museum quality boxed-set. For further information please contact CCA Galleries on 01252 797201.

Readers Comments

Archives

• January 2012 (2)
• December 2011 (1)
• November 2011 (1)
• October 2011 (1)
• September 2011 (4)

Subscribe to
our RSS Feed