Leading British Artists Design Face Masks to Support Art in the U.K. During COVID-19
Masks by David Shrigley, Linder, Eddie Peake, and Yinka Shonibare will raise money for artists and museums.
Four of the UK’s leading contemporary artists – David Shrigley, Linder, Eddie Peake, and Yinka Shonibare – have designed a series of limited-edition printed face masks to raise money for British artists and museums that have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The initiative, launched by The Contemporary Art Society, aims to provide financial support to artists and local museums who have been the most affected by the ongoing mandatory lockdowns; under current government restrictions, British museums are in a state of forced closure until at least July 4. The CAS Rapid Response Fund, which sales of the masks will support, aims to ensure that museums are provided with the resources to make new acquisitions from artists when they reopen.
Linder, a post-punk artist best known for her provocative photomontages, has created a striking lip collage for her design. Shrigley, beloved for his playful and humorous drawings, has finished his mask in a hand-drawn wave print. Peake’s mask features a graphic impression of faces in profile, while the British-Nigerian artist Shonibare has used Dutch wax-printed florals, a recurrent motif in his works.
Each of the masks can be bought by making a donation of £35 (approx. $42 USD) on the Contemporary Art Society’s Crowdfunder page. Alternatively, those making a donation of £120 (approx. $147 USD) will receive all four masks sent together as a pack.
The arts have been heavily affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, with the Venice Biennale forced to postpone until 2022, and MoMA announcing significant budget cuts.
