In 2024, extreme drought and wildfires in the Amazon destroyed three traditional houses in Ulupuwene village, home to our Wauja partners in the Upper Xingu.
With the funds raised by the From the Ashes project, the village was able to purchase a tractor to assist in rebuilding these homes, strengthening local resilience in the face of climate threats. 🚜
From the Ashes transformed ashes from the burnt Amazon rainforest into ink and pastels, used by contemporary artists to create 29 new artworks sold at Christie’s (@christiesinc ) Post-War and Contemporary Art auctions.
A partnership between People’s Palace Projects (@peoplespalaceprojects ), Migrate Art (@migrateart )/ Simon Butler (@simonbutlerstudio ), the Ulupuwene Indigenous Association (@associacao_indigena_ulupuene ) and IFAX (@ifax_2021 ).
Em 2024, a seca extrema e as queimadas na Amazônia destruíram três casas tradicionais na aldeia Ulupuwene, dos nossos parceiros Wauja no Alto Xingu.
Com os fundos arrecadados pelo projeto From the Ashes, a aldeia conseguiu comprar um trator para ajudar na reconstrução dessas casas, fortalecendo a resiliência local diante das ameaças climáticas. 🚜
From the Ashes transformou cinzas da floresta amazônica queimada em tinta e pastel, utilizados por artistas contemporâneos para criar 29 novas obras de arte, vendidas nos leilões da Christie’s.
Uma parceria entre People’s Palace Projects, Migrate Art / Simon Butler, Associação Indígena Ulupuwene e IFAX.
From the Ashes transformed ashes from burned Amazon forest into ink and pastels, used by contemporary artists to create 29 new artworks. 🖌️🌿
In 2024, these works were sold at Christie’s (@christiesinc ) Post-War and Contemporary Art auctions. All funds raised were donated to the Wauja and Kuikuro people in the Xingu Indigenous Territory in Brazil, where they defined their own priorities, strengthening local resilience in the face of ongoing climate threats.
This video shows how one Wauja village — Alamu — used the funds it received.
A partnership between People’s Palace Projects (@peoplespalaceprojects ), Migrate Art (@migrateart )/ Simon Butler (@simonbutlerstudio ), the Ulupuwene Indigenous Association (@associacao_indigena_ulupuene ) and IFAX (@ifax_2021 ).
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PT 🇧🇷 | O projeto From the Ashes transformou cinzas da floresta amazônica queimada em tinta e pastéis, utilizados por artistas contemporâneos para criar 29 novas obras de arte. 🖌️
Em 2024, elas foram vendidos em leilões da Christie’s. Todo o valor arrecadado foi doado aos povos Wauja e Kuikuro, no Território Indígena do Xingu. Eles mesmos definiram suas prioridades, fortalecendo a resiliência local diante das ameaças climáticas.
Este vídeo mostra como uma aldeia Wauja — Alamu — utilizou os recursos recebidos.
Uma parceria entre People’s Palace Projects, Migrate Art / Simon Butler, Associação Indígena Ulupuwene e IFAX.
I was very grateful to speak on a panel this month with Harland Miller, an artist I have long admired, and Marcin Miller, a man whose discovery of Karuizawa whisky is a truly fascinating story that I naively wasn't aware of before collaborating with him.
The panel was celebrating a totally unique collaboration between Harland and Karuizawa, which is raising funds for Migrate to support our ongoing work- I would encourage you to take a further look, as it turned out to be a very special project.
Shout out to @bojanappvc for excellent hosting of the panel, and @anarchyartclub / @randomthngseveryday for making the connections to make this happen.
@harlandmillerofficial@marcinmiller@therealkaruizawa
#HarlandMiller #KaruizawaWhisky #ArtForChange #RareWhisky #LimitedEdition #HarlandMillerxKaruizawa #WhiskyCollectors #ArtCollectors #CharityAuction #CulturalCollaboration
Last week I hit one year of sobriety, which was a milestone I wasn't sure if I would ever reach. I had tried several times in the past but always fell short after 3 or 4 months. Coincidentally, a few days later I ran the Rome Marathon. A combination of factors, all of which were underpinned by my excessive drinking, resulted in 2024 being the most out of shape I have been in my life. When my best mate suggested running the Rome Marathon back in December, we were 13 weeks away from race day, and at that point I couldn't even run 5km, let alone 42km. The old me was thinking 'say you'll do it and you can always bail nearer the time'. The new me committed- I trained 3 or 4 times a week, changed my diet and dedicated 3 months to getting in marathon-ready shape. I also did this whilst having a 3 month old baby- when she went to sleep or was out walking with her mum, I ran.
On sunday I did it! I finished in 3 hours 55 mins 22 seconds, and beat my target of finishing in under 4 hours. I came in the top 30% of everyone that ran.
Sobriety has given me so much in the past 12 months and has allowed me to operate in the world in a more effortless way. It has taken away the excuses- no staying out later than I said I would, no hangovers, no cancelling plans- I have more focus and commitment than ever. Sobriety has also allowed me to be a very present dad to my daughter- and allowed me to bathe in the joy that she has bought to my life. She was there to cheer me on and seeing her at kilometre 37 gave me a boost for that final 5km (I checked my stats and I actually ran faster for the 5 minutes straight after I saw her).
💥Now Available
'Protest' by Simon Butler
Raising funds for The Great Oven to feed displaced people in Lebanon
Hand finished hard ground etching with aquatint
28 x 40cm
Edition of 35
£175 +vat for UK buyers
Follow the link in our bio to get yours!
@simonbutlerstudio@migrateart@thegreatoven@simonlawsonprints
Releasing this Friday to raise funds to feed people in the Middle East! Simon Butler's limited edition print will support The Great Oven's urgent work helping displaced people throughout Lebanon.
Approximately 1.2 million people have been displaced, and The Great Oven have been on the ground to provide food for those that have been under attack. With this release we continue to show our solidarity- the profit from every print sale will be sent to help this urgent situation.
@simonbutlerstudio@thegreatoven #artforacause #fundraising #thegreatoven
Next week I will release a new print with @migrateart to raise funds for my good friends The Great Oven and their work helping displaced people in Lebanon. Despite the unstable ceasefire this week, people in the region need urgent help and The Great Oven are on the ground feeding people.
'Protest' is a beautiful, technically excellent etching and aquatint combo that I produced in collaboration with master printmaker Simon Lawson.
I have hand finished each of the 35 prints with ink, meaning they all have unique subtleties. As a self-proclaimed 'print nerd', I think the results are up there with the best of print making- I'm super proud of this release, and glad I can use my art to support such an important cause.
More details of how to get your hands on one will be announced next week 🖖
#printmaking #etching #artforchange #printswithpurpose #thegreatoven #fundraising #lebanon #palestine
@simonlawsonprints@migrateart@thegreatoven
At the beginning of this year, I found out I was going to be a dad for the first time. I was in Lima in Peru and had just spent some time in the Amazon rainforest seeing incredible wildlife, including the Amazon river's pink dolphins.
Finding out you're going to be a parent comes with a huge wave of emotions. My way of processing things and finding a way to be 'useful' was to turn to creativity and make something.
I wrote and illustrated a short children's book about a pink dolphin called Delfina (the name of our daughter) that lives in the Amazon river. Delfina is curious about the world and the people that live in it, so decides to embark on an adventure to visit all her baby friends in other parts of the world (our friend's kids). Some of our closest friends have kids in Athens, Rome, Milan, Amsterdam and London, so this was the route that Delfina the dolphin took.
Here are a few of the illustrations that I created for the short story. It's pretty to different to anything I've done before, but I quickly got in the flow and had a lot of fun- I made the whole book in about 3 days.
Last week we launched a new mural in London by Shepard Fairey. The project had support from the US Embassy. We got involved in the project due to my existing relationship with Shepard, as well as our proven record engaging local communities through art. The launch was due to host the US Ambassador, alongside Shepard and the local community to celebrate this piece of public art. At 9am, a group of pro- Palestine protesters arrived with megaphones & masks. The Ambassador didn't attend and we moved into a local cafe to keep out of harm's way. After protesting on the street, the protesters broke into the cafe & physically assaulted cafe staff members. We have raised millions for displaced people across the Middle East. There is no doubt that I stand in solidarity with Palestine & Lebanon, but we were not the enemy in this situation, and were attacked as if we were. It saddens me that people act like this- it helps nothing. Violence polarises and does more damage than good. It takes more bravery to work together to find positive solutions than to punch an innocent coffee shop worker & try to smash windows. I am disappointed by this violent niche of the activist community. I sent a statement to our mailing list shortly after the event. A few people told me I was a hypocrite for engaging with the US Embassy, and that I am complicit in genocide. Complex world politics are not black & white- there is nuance & complexity that people don't consider when sat behind a computer screen. The easy option is to shout & call people out. Having a conversation is harder. I responded to these messages with my phone number and suggested we chat. Unsurprisingly, my phone didn't ring. I know people feel powerless, but you don't gain power by sending aggressive emails or commenting on Instagram. Anyone doing this should redirect their energy- put it into something positive, don't fester in the negativity and hatred. Shouting on the internet won't change much. Volunteer with a group or donate to orgs working on the ground. Collaboration & hope will prevail.
