Multicolour, a new project from Migrate Art, is fundraising to support those affected by the global refugee crisis. Some of the most significant names in contemporary art have created works using pencils and crayons salvaged from the Calais Jungle refugee camp, formerly home to a community of approximately 10,000 refugees, demolished in 2016.
When Migrate Art visited the site of the Calais Jungle in the aftermath of its destruction, they found a flattened wasteland where there had once been so much life. From the rubble and dirt of a former school, a number of coloured pencils and crayons were salvaged. Continuing the Migrate Art ethos of developing positive, fundraising responses to the global refugee crisis, these pencils and crayons were collected and brought back to London. They were then sent to leading artists, including Anish Kapoor, Michael Craig-Martin, Rachel Whiteread, Sean Scully and Raqib Shaw, to create an artwork with them in whatever way they wish – drawing with them, photographing them, incorporating them into sculpture or breaking them apart.
Migrate Art was born in 2016 from a desire to help those affected by the global migrant crisis. Since then Migrate Art has raised tens of thousands of pounds to help individuals and communities who have been displaced by war. In an industry full of red tape and bureaucracy, the aim is to keep things simple – raise money and donate it to groups who can use it most effectively and help those most in need.
90% of profits from the sale of these works will be donated equally to Migrate’s key charity partners – RefuAid, Refugee Community Kitchen, The Lotus Flower and The Worldwide Tribe. 10% will go towards future Migrate Art projects.