Lord Foster, Dame Zaha Hadid and David Adjaye join artists and fashion icons to create 100 one-off artworks for the 10×10 Drawing the City London exhibition and auction, hosted by Article 25 – the UK’s leading international development and disaster relief charity. 10×10 Drawing the City London is currently taking place in Somerset House’s newly restored West Wing through November 13th.
10 x 10 Drawing the City London gets its name from the grid of 100 squares laid over an area of London, which this year is the West End. Each participant is allocated a square and donates an artwork inspired by the buildings and public space within it, taking in famous landmarks such as Trafalgar Square, Horse Guards Parade, the British Museum and Somerset House itself in 2012.
The resulting pieces will be displayed in an exhibition at Somerset House from 1 to 13 November. An auction by Sotheby’s of 25 of the exhibited works will follow on 14 November at Somerset House. The remaining 75 works will run in a silent auction throughout the duration of the exhibition with all proceeds going to Article 25.
David Adjaye, a participant in 2011 and 2012, said: “The 10×10 initiative has provided a fascinating and diverse lens through which to see London – it is a series of unseen portraits of the city – secret views and private interpretations of the past, present and future of our everchanging capital. Collectively, the work tells an evocative urban story as told by influential urban thinkers and designers. As a project to raise funds for providing shelter for people affected by natural disasters, it also has a powerful global resonance that unites London with other capitals across the world.”
Works have also been created by London cable car designer Chris Wilkinson, cityscape artist Ben Johnson and historic buildings expert and TV presenter Dr Jonathan Foyle. These will sit alongside original pieces by David Gentleman, Celia Scott and Jeanette Barnes as well as architects Sir Nicholas Grimshaw, Sir Terry Farrell, Eric Parry and Ken Shuttleworth.
A full list of participants, and the squares they were allocated can be found at www.10x10london.com.
Article 25 uses architectural expertise to rebuild lives and transform communities in the developing world. Named after the 25th article of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which asserts that adequate shelter and housing are fundamental to our human rights, the charity undertakes construction projects in some of the world’s poorest countries building much needed facilities in Burkina Faso, Haiti, Democratic Republic of Congo, Afghanistan and beyond.
The exhibition and auction is supported by Barratt London, ING MEDIA and Somerset House.
All images courtesy of Article 25.
