Motive Art Movement Launches

The art movement I'm involved with has just launched, so here's the press release. I hope readers of fatpaulie.com would come over, register, and join in the discussion on the MOTIVE site.

London, UK
July 2, 2007

The sculptor Blake is launching a new action group for artists who want to help victims of war, poverty and disease by raising money for charities supporting the victims of human injustice.

Motive launches its website (http://www.motive-art.org) this month with a call for artists to join the movement and donate their work or time to charitable projects.

Blake himself is donating the entire collection from his 2007 exhibition to the No More Landmines Trust and their mine clearance work across the developing world. He expects to raise more than £1 million from the sale of a series of quarter life size bronzes at his exhibition Fragments.

He said: "For centuries, artists have used their work to make political and social statements. But we believe this is not enough. We want to push art past commentary and into positive action. Our aim is simple but huge. We want artists to help create a better world."

Canadian-born Blake (http://www.blake.at) is a noted figurative sculptor who trained in Europe. His Fragments work was inspired by his visits to Vietnam, where he saw first-hand the horrors created by landmines. Each piece has been created in clay then partially destroßyed before being cast in bronze.

"I have called the exhibition Fragments because that's what landmines create. They shatter people's lives."

Blake stressed that he does not expect artists to follow his lead by giving away their entire collection.
"To launch Motive, I had to make a dramatic gesture, but clearly many artists will not be able to do this."

The Fragments Exhibition shows at the following locations:
August 13-24 The Smithfield Gallery, 16 West Smithfield, London EC1A 9HY
October 13-25 Chapter House, Canterbury Cathedral, Canterbury, Kent CT1 2EE
November 1-17 Royal Opera Arcade, 5 Pall Mall, London SW1Y 5NP

For more information about Motive and its website, or to request an interview with Blake, please contact Paul Sherrard via email at paul@motive-art.org