A new socially-conscious digital art gallery is selling emerging artists' work with a portion of proceeds going to British domestic violence charity Refuge, in honour of International Women's Day.
“I think like everyone in the UK, we were quite alarmed by the news of how drastically domestic violence has gone up since the pandemic, so I knew I wanted to do something that was supporting that," Charlie Siddick, founder of Purslane gallery, said.
"And all of the artists are either female or non-binary.”
Ms Siddick says she named the exhibition Mnemosyne after the Greek goddess of memory – inspired by the idea of women as empowered storytellers, while also touching upon trauma.
The former model, who has a BA in art history from The Courtauld Institute of Art in London, began her online gallery after being inspired to do something to support the Black Lives Matter movement during last year’s lockdown.
"Like everyone else, I was trapped at home looking at this really distressing imagery and I just felt very strongly that I wanted to do something in some small way that might contribute to the momentum of that movement," Ms Siddick told The National.
And so I thought maybe I should put on a one-off fundraiser, selling artworks by some of my favourite emerging artists.”
That first exhibition included the works of 40 artists, with 25 per cent of proceeds going to inclusivity charity Blueprint for All – formerly known as the Steven Lawrence Charitable Trust.
Domestic abuse is not spoken about enough in the Middle East so if I am able to help stimulate this conversation wherever possible, I think it is important that I do so. Nour Saleh.
Mnemosyne is Ms Siddick's fifth show since launching last year and brings together 14 of the UK's emerging artists.
They include Nour Saleh, a Lebanese UK-based artist who grew up in the UAE, and whose dream-like works explore alternate worlds where gender roles are blurred.
“My work delves into the difficult subject matter of ‘ugliness,’ a term I use loosely," Ms Saleh said.
"I aim to challenge the typically defined gender roles and features in my art."
Ms Saleh, 23, studied fine art at University College London Slade School of Fine Art.
She says she is happy to be using her art to raise awareness and funds for an under-reported issue.
"Domestic abuse is not spoken about enough in the Middle East, so if I am able to help stimulate this conversation wherever possible, I think it is important that I do so," Ms Saleh said.
Besides philanthropy, Ms Siddick says the purpose of Purslane is to give a more equitable proportion of sales to the artists.
"There's something about the sort of traditional art world that I find quite repulsive," Ms Siddick said.
"That's quite a strong word. But I guess it's just to me that those institutions are making a lot of money, but not many people are benefitting from it.”
It's a case of providing an opportunity for emerging artists who might not otherwise get represented or have their works shown in a gallery. Charlie Siddick.
Ms Siddick says artists make at least 50 per cent of the proceeds from sales on Purslane – compared to the 20 to 40 percentage that many traditional galleries give.
Most of the artists she exhibits are early in their careers and prices for pieces on the platform start from £100 ($138).
“It's a case of providing an opportunity for emerging artists who might not otherwise get represented or have their works shown in a gallery,” Ms Siddick said.
"It's that dual angle of trying to raise money, but also ensuring that the artists I work with are making enough money from it as well."
Sheer grandeur
The Owo building is 14 storeys high, seven of which are below ground, with the 30,000 square feet of amenities located subterranean, including a 16-seat private cinema, seven lounges, a gym, games room, treatment suites and bicycle storage.
A clear distinction between the residences and the Raffles hotel with the amenities operated separately.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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PROFILE OF SWVL
Started: April 2017
Founders: Mostafa Kandil, Ahmed Sabbah and Mahmoud Nouh
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport
Size: 450 employees
Investment: approximately $80 million
Investors include: Dubai’s Beco Capital, US’s Endeavor Catalyst, China’s MSA, Egypt’s Sawari Ventures, Sweden’s Vostok New Ventures, Property Finder CEO Michael Lahyani
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Top 10 locations for inquiries from US house hunters, according to Rightmove
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What is blockchain?
Blockchain is a form of distributed ledger technology, a digital system in which data is recorded across multiple places at the same time. Unlike traditional databases, DLTs have no central administrator or centralised data storage. They are transparent because the data is visible and, because they are automatically replicated and impossible to be tampered with, they are secure.
The main difference between blockchain and other forms of DLT is the way data is stored as ‘blocks’ – new transactions are added to the existing ‘chain’ of past transactions, hence the name ‘blockchain’. It is impossible to delete or modify information on the chain due to the replication of blocks across various locations.
Blockchain is mostly associated with cryptocurrency Bitcoin. Due to the inability to tamper with transactions, advocates say this makes the currency more secure and safer than traditional systems. It is maintained by a network of people referred to as ‘miners’, who receive rewards for solving complex mathematical equations that enable transactions to go through.
However, one of the major problems that has come to light has been the presence of illicit material buried in the Bitcoin blockchain, linking it to the dark web.
Other blockchain platforms can offer things like smart contracts, which are automatically implemented when specific conditions from all interested parties are reached, cutting the time involved and the risk of mistakes. Another use could be storing medical records, as patients can be confident their information cannot be changed. The technology can also be used in supply chains, voting and has the potential to used for storing property records.
England squad
Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Dominic Bess, James Bracey, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Zak Crawley, Sam Curran, Joe Denly, Ben Foakes, Lewis Gregory, Keaton Jennings, Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Saqib Mahmood, Craig Overton, Jamie Overton, Matthew Parkinson, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Joe Root, Dom Sibley, Ben Stokes, Olly Stone, Amar Virdi, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood
MATCH INFO
Europa League final
Who: Marseille v Atletico Madrid
Where: Parc OL, Lyon, France
When: Wednesday, 10.45pm kick off (UAE)
TV: BeIN Sports
MATCH INFO
Arsenal 1 (Aubameyang 12’) Liverpool 1 (Minamino 73’)
Arsenal win 5-4 on penalties
Man of the Match: Ainsley Maitland-Niles (Arsenal)
