Published: 05 May 2021
The Breath Project presents Rhythm Adjust
Online Auction Exhibition supporting Artists and Frontline 19
Co-curated by Zanny Mellor, and Hannah Payne, hosted by The Auction Collective
21 May - 11 June 2021
Artists: Becky Allen, Adam Ball, Katie Bret Day, Daniel Crawshaw, Sara Dare, Karen David, Theo Ellison, Justine Formentelli, Ben Gooding, Reece Jones, Anna Lieber Lewis, Hannah Luxton, Rod McIntosh, Zanny Mellor, David Murphy, Barbara Nicholls, Becca Pelly-Fry, Marion Piper, Yelena Popova, Emilie Pugh, Tamsin Relly, James Rogers, Amy Stephens, Alice Wilson
‘Another world is not only possible, she is on her way. On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing’. Arundhati Roy
As the Covid-19 virus swept into our lives in the past year we began to think of the collective breath of the UK population and how it has become a subject that now connects us all globally. Breathing is something so vital and yet so overlooked as an automatic process happening in the body without needing active thought. Breath is central to our physical health and our mental wellbeing; it is our constant rhythm and life force from our first breath to our last.
In these extraordinary times, when the world paused for breath in fear and uncertainty, our patterns and behaviours have come into focus. Slowly adjusting to new ways of living, the role of the arts, culture and creativity came to the fore with an ability to provide comfort, lift the spirits and create community at a time when we needed it most.
The Breath Project is a collaboration by Zanny Mellor, artist and designer, and Hannah Payne, Founder at The Art Five. The project was conceived with an aim to present exhibitions and projects to support artists, and people affected by the global pandemic.
The launch exhibition Rhythm Adjust will raise funds for Frontline 19, an independent UK nationwide service delivering free, confidential psychological support to NHS and frontline workers who are, or have been working on the frontline of Covid-19. In the last 12 months they have supported over 50,000 counselling and debriefing sessions. The volunteers are all qualified counsellors, psychotherapists or psychologists who have experience in supporting
people who have experienced trauma and emotional distress.
“I am so grateful for the support I have received, it has been indescribably valuable and I am recommending this to lots of friends and colleagues who have been struggling during and post the pandemic. I cannot thank you enough and will move forward with tools and knowledge that I am sure will continue to help me in a career in medicine.” (Frontline worker following receiving support from Frontline19)
Co-curated by Zanny and Hannah, Rhythm Adjust, is a non-profit exhibition presented online and hosted by The Auction Collective bringing together 20 international contemporary artists and 30 artworks that consider breath, from abstract gesture to representation and processes found in nature and the body.
Working in a range of media from painting, printmaking, analogue photography and textiles, some artists explore sequencing and repetitive movements, creating a sense of calm in their order, while others create works that have a vaporous quality, or tension, seeming to hover somewhere between presence and remembrance. Natural subjects remind us of our physicality and connection to the wider health of our ecosystems, and consider the importance of nature as a place for wellbeing, whether real or imagined.
Rhythm Adjust dedicated Auction Collective webpage: https://theauctioncollective.com/auctions/the-breath-project/
Instagram: @the.breathproject #rhythmadjust
ENDS
Exhibition & Timed Auction
Viewing Room live from - 21 May
Timed Auction - Starts 21 May, Ends 11 June at 7pm
Register here
About Zanny Mellor
Zanny Mellor is a British visual artist and designer working in abstract painting and photography, comparing timeframes within the body and landscape through minimalist and gestural forms. Recent projects include group shows Enter the Abstract with The Auction Collective, Render Permanent at Lewisham Arthouse, and Abstract Reality at The Saatchi Gallery. Mellor completed a Masters in Fine Art at City & Guilds of London Art School in 2015 with Distinction and her artwork is held in private collections in the UK, Europe, South Africa, UAE and Australia.
About Hannah Payne
Hannah Payne is Senior Director at Zuleika Gallery following a background of 20 years at leading institutions and art businesses including Blenheim Palace, Royal Academy of Arts, and Olympia International Art & Antiques Fairs. With a continued passion for the art world Hannah has directed art programmes at leading art sector businesses in London developing exhibitions with emerging and mid-career artists, as well as consulting for contemporary art galleries. Hannah is Founder of The Art Five, a series of contemporary art interviews, is on the Advisory Board of University of the Arts London’s Made in Arts London, a non-profit organisation supporting graduating artists, and is a member of (AWITA) the Association of Women in the Arts.
About Frontline19
Frontline19 is a social enterprise set up in response to the pandemic; They support NHS and frontline workers with pro bono psychological support. In the last 12 months they have provided over 50,000 counselling and debriefing sessions. The Frontline19 volunteers are all qualified counsellors, psychotherapists or psychologists who have experience in supporting people who have experienced trauma and emotional distress. As an organisation they offer up to 12 sessions across the UK via online therapeutic sessions. Frontline19 are in need of funding so that they can continue the invaluable support that they offer. They support health and social care professionals, from nurses, doctors, paramedics, to care home staff, police and the fire service.
About The Auction Collective
The Auction Collective was established by former Christie's auctioneer and Contemporary Art Specialist Tom Best. Tom spent six years at Christie’s London as an auctioneer, and two years in international development before combining these twin passions for art and social good in The Auction Collective.
The Auction Collective was created to provide a fresh approach to the art and auction market. Tom's idea was to take the best of Britain's auction tradition and bring it up to date by making it more streamlined, more transparent, more affordable and more accessible. In doing so he was able to open up the auction model and its advantages to a new community of artists and art lovers.