Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders (MSF) UK
Artist Fundraiser for their work in Palestine
Leading voices from the field of contemporary art join forces to raise funds for essential humanitarian aid for Palestine through an exhibition and major online art auction. All proceeds will go towards the work of Médecins Sans Frontières UK / Doctors Without Borders (MSF) UK in Gaza and the West Bank.
Organising artists: Adham Faramawy RA Alumni, Alan Stanton RA, Alison Wilding OBE RA, Emma Stibbon RA, Fiona Banner aka the Vanity Press RA, Goshka Macuga RA, Mali Morris RA, Piers Gough CBE RA, Rana Begum RA, Dame Sonia Boyce OBE RA, Tim Shaw RA.
Contributing artists include: Adam Broomberg, Ahmet Öğüt, Alice Channer, Alison Goldfrapp, Amalia Pica, Anya Gallaccio, Assemble RA, Bharti Kher, Brigitte Lacombe, Caragh Thuring RA, Darvish Fakhr, David Batchelor, David Nash OBE RA, Eva Rothschild RA, Hardeep Pandhal, Haroon Mirza, Jane & Louise Wilson RA, Jeremy Deller, Jock McFadyen RA, John Smith, Linder Sterling, Lindsey Mendick, Lubna Chowdhary, Mark Wallinger, Matthew Krishanu, Mona Hatoum, Nikhil Chopra, Oliver Beer, Peter Liversidge, Prem Sahib, Raqs Media Collective, Reza Aramesh, Shirin Neshat, Shumon Basar, Sir Antony Gormley OBE RA, Sir Richard Long CBE RA, Sophia Al-Maria, Subodh Gupta, Superflex, Tai Shani, Tess Jaray RA, Wolfgang Tillmans RA - plus all organising artists, and many more!
Catalogue launch: 18th November
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Catalogue launch: 18th November .
“We stand as a collective voice in support of MSF and the essential work they are doing in Gaza and West Bank. We want to use our connections and friendships as artists to help this essential cause at a desperate time.”
Leading voices from across the field of contemporary art join forces to raise funds for essential humanitarian aid for Palestine through an exhibition and major online art auction. Over 200 artworks have been donated, spanning the disciplines of art, architecture, engineering, and literature. All proceeds will go towards the work of Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders (MSF) UK in Gaza and the West Bank. There will be an exhibition of all the artworks at 14 Wharf Road. This will launch with a reception event on Friday 22nd November and will be open to the public during the auction. It will be a unique opportunity to acquire significant artworks by leading contemporary artists, and directly provide essential help for the humanitarian crisis in Palestine. Online bidding opens on 18th November and closes on the 1st December.
“We are deeply moved and grateful for the generosity of this collective of artists who have come together to support the work of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT). Their creativity and commitment are a testament to the power of art to inspire compassion and solidarity. These funds will have a direct impact on our ability to provide immediate life-saving medical care to some of the most marginalised people in society. On behalf of MSF, thank you for standing with us and the people of OPT in these challenging times.”
Who are MSF?
Médecins Sans Frontières is an international, independent, medical, humanitarian organisation providing medical assistance to people affected by conflict, epidemics, disasters, or exclusion from healthcare.
In the face of the unprecedented humanitarian crisis unfolding in Gaza, MSF is running an emergency response to provide lifesaving medical care and clean water to as many Palestinians as possible. Since the airstrikes on Gaza started, MSF teams have constantly adapted to extremely volatile conditions. MSF have donated medical supplies and are working in hospitals, many of which are damaged or no longer functioning.
MSF statement on their work in Palestine:
MSF is an impartial organisation. So, we are sometimes asked why we do not currently run medical programmes in Israel. We have offered our support to Israeli hospitals treating high numbers of casualties. However, Israel has strong emergency and health systems in place. MSF focuses on filling gaps in healthcare and going wherever that need is greatest. Our teams are working in Gaza and the West Bank – as we have for 20 years – providing medical aid and supporting a healthcare system that urgently lacks both staff and supplies. This is why we report on what our staff and patients are directly witnessing and experiencing in Gaza. Hospitals are becoming overwhelmed and facing shortages of drugs, medical supplies, and fuel for generators.
In Gaza, one of the most densely populated places on Earth, 2.2 million people were already living through a chronic crisis before what has now become a humanitarian catastrophe. As of 1st October 2024, over 41,500 Palestinians have been killed and more than 96,000 injured, including 16,500 children. More than 10,000 people are missing or buried by rubble in Gaza. Up to 1.9 million people (90% of the population) are estimated to be forcibly displaced including people who have been repeatedly displaced (some up to 10 times). Many of these people are living in appalling conditions that are unsafe and unhealthy – without adequate shelter, food, water or medical care.
From the start of the conflict, hospitals across the Strip have been completely overwhelmed and have faced running out of critical supplies. Some medical facilities have been hit by indiscriminate bombing while others have been under siege. Our staff have repeatedly spoken of the wounded screaming without painkillers, how already sick people cannot reach care, and the fear of being hit in an airstrike. Now, after months of conflict, the threat of injury, illness and death has evolved beyond the violence. In Gaza, the risk of infection has become incredibly high and is putting lives at risk.
Infected wounds are common with patients facing the double hit of unsanitary living conditions and a healthcare system that is unable to provide the in-hospital treatment and support that they need. Meanwhile, infectious diseases – including diarrhoea, respiratory infections and hepatitis – are increasingly reported across Gaza. Pregnant mothers struggle to access maternity care and delivery rooms, leading to dangerous childbirth complications. And, as food and water shortages deepen, the World Food Programme reports that 96 percent of Gaza's people face acute food insecurity. The UN warns that a high risk of famine is persistent.