Ceramics for Nepal
Thai artist Vipoo Srivilasa organises auction to benefit earthquake relief
MORE THAN 80 artworks in clay donated by acclaimed ceramists around the globe will be sold in an online auction from May 15 to 17 to raise money for victims of last month’s earthquake in Nepal.
Thai ceramist Vipoo Srivilasa, who lives in Melbourne, Australia, initiated the “Clay for Nepal” auction. “After seeing the terrible footage, I felt that I had to do something,” he says. “I realised that my colleagues and I could auction our work to make a substantial contribution to the relief effort.”
The response from the ceramics community has been overwhelming, with pieces donated by more than 30 celebrated artists.
Australia’s Pippin Drysdale offered her stunning work “Sunburst” from a series called “Tanami Mapping III”, and Ann Van Hoey has contributed three pieces that accentuate the interplay between the clay’s paper-thin delicacy and textural roughness.
London-based Kate Malone, who’s also researcher in stoneware glaze, is selling “A Pair of Little Atomics”, while Bridget Bodenham has donated a beautiful tea set. Vipoo collaborated with Lynda Draper to create a little zoo that they hope will make people smile.
Vipoo is well known for bringing communities together through ceramics, and in 2011, in the wake of Tropical Cyclone Yasi, raised more than US$20,000 (Bt668,000) for flood relief in Queensland, Australia. As a Thai living in Melbourne, Vipoo’s art – usually a satirical narrative on society, politics and environmental concerns – inevitably reflects his dual identity and culture.
The death toll in Nepal since the April 25 earthquake has topped 7,500 and foreign aid continues to play a critical role, bringing emergency shelter, medical supplies and sanitation and financing rebuilding efforts.
The Clay for Nepal auction will open on Friday at 6am Melbourne time (3am in Bangkok) and close on next Sunday at 9pm (6pm here).
If the bidding prices are too steep for you, more affordable pieces are available in the project’s online store, and proceeds from those sales also go to Oxfam Australia’s Nepal Earthquake Relief Appeal.
Oxfam Australia has thus far helped 60,000 Nepalis, delivering nearly 200,000 litres of clean water, building pit toilets, providing shelter and distributing hygiene kits.
BID TO HELP
>>For details and updates, follow the hashtag #clayfornepal15 on Facebook and Instagram. Bidding online takes place at www.ClayForNepal.com.
