Sir Michael Craig-Martin: Bidding in artwork auction will help feed people do not know where the next meal is coming from

You can bid in our auction here
Sir Michael Craig-Martin
Francesco Loy Bell30 July 2020

Over the past 42 years, Irish artist Sir Michael Craig-Martin has become revered for his vibrant conceptual work both on and off the page.

An emeritus professor at Goldsmiths, he is known as a key teacher of and inspiration for the Young British Artists, many of whom he taught.

Now, he has joined The Evening Standard’s Food For London Now appeal, donating two works to our Help the Hungry auction in collaboration with Sotheby’s.

The auction, which is currently live, will raise money for The Felix Project, and help contribute to the building of central London’s largest ever food kitchen.

For the auction, Sir Michael has donated the Mies van der Rohe Chair and the Saarinen Chair, both made in 2019.

Hailing from a series that pays homage to designers and architects whose vision has shaped what we think of as “modern”, the sculptural reliefs in polished steel belie reality, inviting the viewer to have a seat while conjuring a sense of tangibility and three-dimensionality.

Sir Michael Craig-Martin

Here, we talk to Sir Michael about the auction, the social importance of food, and what the world should look like post-Covid-19.

Why did you donate a work to the Help the Hungry Auction?

One of the most important aspects of contemporary life that the pandemic has brought to our attention is the shocking and increasing number of people who regularly go hungry, who simply do not know where the next meal is coming from, who cannot feed their children. Donating a work to the Help the Hungry Auction will hopefully help raise much needed funds to assist those in the greatest need.

What does food mean to you personally?

I love good food but for me food carries as much social as personal meaning. It is not difficult to understand why sharing a meal is at heart of virtually every culture.

Can you tell us a little bit more about your donated works?

All of my work is based in drawing. Normally drawings are essentially immaterial, just lines from a pencil or pen and dependant on a sheet of paper to even exist. In my drawings of chairs the lines are drawn in steel, and thus are substantial, independent, material.

What prompted you to start working with polished steel relief?

The opportunity of turning images into objects.

What sort of an effect did lockdown have on you creatively? Did you feel more inspired, or did you find it more difficult to work?

I found I worked well under lockdown. The days were peaceful with little interruption or distraction. As there were no deadlines or other pressures, I took whatever time I needed. Interestingly I have found it more difficult to work since lockdown ended. It is not easy to find a new rhythm of work as everything now seems so uncertain, so temporary.

COVID-19 has heralded a new hunger crisis, with thousands going hungry as the economic impacts of the pandemic are felt across the country. How crucial is it that we do all we can to ensure nobody goes without a meal in this country?

We should consider it completely unacceptable that anybody in our country regularly goes hungry. We should all support free school meals, food banks, and the fundraising efforts of charities such as this.

What do you hope the ‘new normal’ will entail post-pandemic? What lessons must we learn from this period, and what are some changes you’d like to see made?

The pandemic has emphasised and in many ways exacerbated the inequalities between people. The ‘new normal’ provides us with a unique opportunity to make our world a great deal fairer and more inclusive.

  • You can go here to bid on Sir Michael Craig-Martin’s works at the Help the Hungry Auction

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in