A benefit art exhibition and auction featuring 30 internationally acclaimed artists including Damien Hirst and Tracey Emin to mark 30 years of AIDS
New York, London - July 25, 2011 – The MTV Staying Alive Foundation today announced a dynamic new project to mark the 30th anniversary of the discovery of the AIDS virus.
Hosted at the Goss-Michael Foundation in Dallas and curated by The Future Tense, MTV RE:DEFINE will bring together original works, many specially commissioned for the project, from a bold roster of 30 of the world’s most exciting contemporary artists, photographers and sculptors, including key emerging talents. All 30 pieces will be auctioned, with 100% of the proceeds benefitting the MTV Staying Alive Foundation, which encourages, energizes and empowers young people who are involved in HIV and AIDS awareness, education and prevention campaigns.
Since launching in 1981, MTV has worked with some of the most influential figures in contemporary art including Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring. For MTV RE:DEFINE, project curators The Future Tense have sourced and commissioned an eclectic selection of original artworks from both established and emerging artists, including Damien Hirst, Tracey Emin, Gérard Rancinan, Shepard Fairey and Katrin Fridriks.
The exhibition will be open to the public from Friday, September 16th and will culminate in a VIP reception on Saturday, September 24th during which all 30 works will feature in a live auction event in support of the Staying Alive Foundation. For those unable to attend the event, absentee bids will also be accepted including via telephone – please visit www.mtvredefine.com for more information on how to bid.
Georgia Arnold, Executive Director of the Staying Alive Foundation said, “MTV has always naturally partnered with cutting edge talent and artists, and I’m delighted that we are doing so on this occasion to support the work of the Staying Alive Foundation. Each one of the 30 pieces of art represents a year since the discovery of AIDS and the proceeds from each work will make a huge contribution to empowering young people engaged in fighting the stigma, spread and threat of the epidemic 30 years on. I want to thank each and every artist for their enormous generosity.”
Ed Bartlett, founder of The Future Tense said, “Our aim with this project was to bring together a body of work that we felt resonated with both the ‘RE:DEFINE’ high concept, but also with our interpretation of the past, present and future ‘MTV Generation’ artists. Throughout the project each artist has truly engaged with these ideals, in many cases commissioning brand new work for the show, and we believe the resulting exhibition will speak for itself.”
The VIP reception will feature a live music performance (talent to be announced soon), and the event will be complemented by a full catalogue production, plus support from a range of premium sponsors, including Moët & Chandon, The Dallas Morning News and Neiman Marcus.
Full details of the event can be found on the official website, www.mtvredefine.com where details of the remaining 25 artists will be revealed in groups of 5 each Monday at midday EST over the next five weeks. Project updates can also be followed in real-time on Twitter via @mtvredefine and Facebook at www.facebook.com/mtvredefine.
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ABOUT MTV INTERNATIONAL’S STAYING ALIVE FOUNDATION
The MTV Staying Alive Foundation is a global grant-giving and content-producing public charity operating in affiliation with MTV Networks International.
In 1998, MTV launched the Staying Alive TV series, which grew to be the world’s largest multimedia HIV prevention and awareness campaign for young people, including documentaries, dramas, public service announcements, websites, events and forums.
In 2004, the MTV Staying Alive Foundation was created, expanding the initiative in to a charitable, grant-giving organization to support youth-led initiatives committed to stopping the spread of HIV in local communities.
To date, the Foundation has awarded 304 grants in 61 countries across the world, distributing over $3 million. The MTV Staying Alive Foundation is dedicated to fighting stigma and discrimination and empowering young people to protect themselves against the disease. The MTV Staying Alive Foundation is registered as a UK charity and as a 501c3 charitable organization in the US.
For more information visit http://stayingalivefoundation.org
ABOUT THE FUTURE TENSE
The Future Tense acts as a springboard for a dynamic roster of emerging contemporary artists, working closely with them to support all aspects of their career progression.
Free from the constraints of a fixed gallery space, The Future Tense creates unique event concepts and genre-defining projects, curating bespoke spaces and working with affiliate galleries to service a broad spectrum of private and institutional collectors.
The Future Tense also applies award-winning vision and creative thinking on behalf of brands seeking cultural innovation, delivering uniquely engaging results through a diverse network of collaborators.
Highly socially aware and with strong philanthropic sensibilities, The Future Tense works closely with a number of charitable causes including the MTV Staying Alive Foundation and children’s charity, War Child.
For more information visit www.thefuturetense.net
ABOUT THE GOSS-MICHAEL FOUNDATION
The Goss-Michael Foundation was founded by George Michael and Kenny Goss in June 2007.
The Foundation offers the public a rotating schedule of exhibitions derived from Goss and Michael’s private collection of British contemporary art as well as other institutions.
The Goss-Michael Foundation exists to educate, engage and inspire audiences by presenting exhibitions of British Contemporary art, provide vast resources, educational programs and scholarships to aspiring artists.
For more information visit www.gossmichaelfoundation.org/
