Avant Arte is proud to announce a collaboration with the artist-run collective For Freedoms on a series of London-based public art activations accompanied by print editions from artists Christine Wong Yap and Hank Willis Thomas.
The collaboration represents the first appearance of For Freedoms’ billboards outside of the US, as well as the first-time artworks from their campaigns will be released in edition form.
Avant Arte and For Freedoms share an ambition to make art more readily available to the public, whether online or offline, and to instigate far-reaching conversations around it. Christine Wong Yap and Hank Willis Thomas — two artists with overtly collaborative, socially-engaged practices — will each pose an emotive question to Londoners, as well as to a worldwide online community of art lovers.
Artist, Christine Wong Yap, said: “For me the project is a prompt, a provocation, and I’m really excited about seeing the artwork take space in billboards and posters in the UK. I hope people see it, think about it, and actually engage in some self-reflection.”
Fellow-Artist and For Freedoms Co-Founder Hank Willis Thomas, said: “Placing images in the public that are designed to encourage critical thinking and uplift joy and celebration is paramount to us.
“We believe that art is a tool for social change and inner meditation. As For Freedoms continues to evolve as a collective entity, and through this collaboration with Avant Arte on our first print editions and first activation in Europe, we hope to be working towards an expanding mission outside of the US.”
Mazdak Sanii, who is Avant Arte co-founder, commented: “Art can have a transformative impact on the way people think and feel — something that both of these works gesture towards. We’re really excited for the launch of this collaboration with For Freedoms and two incredible artists to help broaden that impact, putting thought-provoking pieces directly into people’s paths.”
A digital campaign centred on @avant.arte (2.4 million followers) will run from August to October, including an Instagram live conversation with both artists and a bespoke Instagram filter, designed by Hank Willis Thomas, that invites the public to partake in the conversation and submit their own personal responses to his question.
A pair of accompanying editions, launching on September 27, represent the first time that collectors worldwide will have the opportunity to acquire prints based on For Freedoms’ emblematic billboard designs. The prints have been created using Avant Arte’s industry-leading production process, each one an exceptional reinterpretation that allows its original work to be seen and understood at a new scale and in new contexts.
Both editions will be released on avantarte.com at 14:00 BST on September 29, with an instant sell out expected.
