Welcome to 'Giving in Unity', an art show and sale in aid of CAFOD that invites us to embrace the radical act of giving this Advent.
As we reflect on the importance of looking out for our sisters and brothers around the world, this exhibition showcases powerful artworks that inspire compassion and solidarity.
Giving in Unity: Art show and sale in aid of CAFOD's work
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Art and carols this Advent
Join us on 11 December for CAFOD's annual Advent Carol Service.
This year's service at Farm Street Church will be followed by a drinks reception and a special viewing of our 'Giving in Unity' art exhibition with the chance to speak with some of the artists themselves about the works on display.
The service will also include live music performances by:
St Anne’s Gospel Choir - BBC Songs of Praise Young Choir of the Year finalists
Adeniké Adewale - semi-finalist in The Voice and currently touring as Whitney: Queen of the Night
Talia Dean - singer-songwriter and former X Factor finalist
We will also be joined by several special guest readers, including BAFTA'nominated actor Alex Macqueen.
About the exhibition...
'Giving in Unity' has been the fruition of months of hard work from young artist and curator of the exhibition, Luisa Rodriguez. This is not the first time that Luisa has used her art for good. In 2021, she raised £2,000 for CAFOD's emergency relief work in the wake of the Honduran earthquakes and last year, she curated the first 'Giving in Unity' art show at CAFOD's head office in London.
The second 'Giving in Unity' art show is being held at the Jesuit Centre in Mayfair where all of the works will be on display and available to purchase - with half of the proceeds from every sale going to support CAFOD's work. We will have a special viewing event with mulled wine and mince pies directly after CAFOD's annual Advent Carol Service in the adjoining Church of the Immaculate Conception on Wednesday 11th December at 7pm.
The full exhibition will not be available to view until the opening night on Wednesday 27th November but you can view a taster of some of the works that will be available below.
We hope you enjoy it.
Donate to support CAFOD's work
With special thanks to Luisa Rodriguez and all of the artists who gave their time and their art to help people struggling with poverty around the world
For more information or to inquire about purchasing any of the artwork on display, please email events@cafod.org.uk.
Available to view at Farm Street Church
J.R. Bateson - 'Mother and Child in Brixton Market'
Giclee Print, 53 x 53 cm
2024
£150 (framed)
J.R Bateson is a painter and print maker living in Brixton, where he grew up. Some of his works draw inspiration from the locality including the vibrant and colourful market and its surroundings. He sees painting as an exploration, ‘you may have an idea where you are heading but never quite know where you are going to end up’.
Joanne Ford - 'Who do you say I am'
Print, 29.7 x 21 cm
2024
£100 (framed)
Joanne Ford (@jojoart33) is an artist based in the highlands of Scotland. She began painting after a trip to Medjugorie and it became her passion. Her desire is that, through her art, she can draw others deeper into the worship of Jesus, his unending love, compassion and mercy.
Joanne Ford - 'Forgiven'
Acrylic on canvas, 30 x 40 cm
2024
£250
Joanne Ford - 'Mother and Child'
Acrylic on canvas, 40 x 30 cm
2024
£250
Bokani - 'Restorative'
Mixed media stained glass and metal, 37 x 38 cm
2023
£950
To inquire about purchasing any of the artworks on display, email events@cafod.org.uk.
Bokani’s (Zimbabwe) work blends an African sensibility with the traditions of conceptual western art. She studied Politics with Economics at the University of Bath, and a Masters in Fine Art at Goldsmiths College specialising in Computational Art. Her work is characterised by spontaneous, vibrant colour, fuelled by an exploration of themes and motifs engaging the viewer intellectually, emotionally and spiritually. Chiefly concerned with our response to the climate crisis, her paintings elicit a new response to nature.
'Giving in Unity'
Like many in her community, Salina got trapped into a system of dependence by large seed corporations who made her buy poor quality seeds which required the same corporations' expensive chemical fertilisers to grow. Her community, once built on reciprocal giving, became one where large corporations took everything, and she was forced to borrow food just to survive
Thanks to CAFOD’s partner UBINIG, Salina now has access to native seeds which do not require fertilisers and ensure local biodiversity, preserving the fertility of the land for the future. A simple act of giving that has transformed a whole community and will continue to for generations.
This is what Giving in Unity means to CAFOD, neighbour helping neighbour. It means hope for a better world than the one of greed that we so often build for ourselves.
Ruth Helen Smith - 'Taw by Clapper'
Oil on canvas paper, 12 x 16 in
2024
£750
Ruth Helen Smith is an artist based in Devon where she runs an art residency programme, gallery and teaches. Her paintings are loose abstractions painted en plein air and centre around the miracle of existence.
Ruth Helen Smith - 'Sunflowers in the Rain'
Oil on canvas paper, 12 x 16 in
2024
£750
Johnny Dewe Matthews- 'Magnolia Tree'
Watercolour on paper, 43 x 37 cm
2024
£400 (framed)
Johny Dewe Matthews is an artist based in London. He is principally interested in working in environments where people are working together towards creating a common end product. This subject matter allows him to explore the visual forms that come about from studying interacting figures in motion.
Vicky Frazer - 'Be:hold' (1)
Mixed media on canvas, 28.5 x 24 cm
2023
£470 (framed)
Vicky Frazer is a visual artist, based between London and Brighton. Creative adventure. Life is the occasion. She paint, draws, and sculpts with threads of movement, flight and light, utilising a multi-faceted range of materials and techniques, akin with her textile roots.
Vicky Frazer - 'Be:hold' (2)
Mixed media on canvas, 28.5 x 24 cm
2023
£470 (framed)
Vicky Frazer - 'Be:hold' (3)
Mixed media on canvas, 28.5 x 24 cm
2023
£470 (framed)
Online only
Luisa Rodriguez - 'Rain 01'
Ink on chipboard, 33 x 26 cm
2023
£350
To inquire about purchasing any of the artworks on display, email events@cafod.org.uk.
Luisa Rodriguez’s (Honduras) work ranges from site-specific installations and paintings to spatial design. She studied architecture in Honduras and later a post-graduate diploma in arts which led her to Master in Fine Arts at UAL’s Wimbledon College of Arts. Her material choices are influenced by the resourcefulness she experienced growing up in Honduras. She uses these materials to explore concepts of fragility and vulnerability within the built environment.
Gabriel Chaim - 'Study of St Jerome after Durer'
Silverpoint, watercolour, bone ash and indigo on cotton paper, 17.5 x 24.5 cm
2023
£200 (unframed)
To inquire about purchasing any of the artworks on display, email events@cafod.org.uk.
Gabriel Chaim’s (Brazil) art practice starts as a means to cure boredom which turns into a divine calling. He studied Graphic Design, and later painting at UAL’s Wimbledon College of Arts. He grinds semi-precious stones and extracts pigments to hand mix his own paints which he then converts, using this traditional process, into a visual intellectual output and iconographic painting. He was able to develop and hone these techniques during his time at the Prince’s School of Traditional Arts.
Tim Patrick - 'Figure 02'
Oil on paper, 27 x 37.5 cm
2022
£350
To inquire about purchasing any of the artworks on display, email events@cafod.org.uk.
Tim Patrick’s (UK) preoccupation in art revolves around painting from life. The works on show are of life models - a part of his practice whereby being in a space with the model, he tries to paint not just the figure, but of time spent in the presence of the figure. Seeing how familiar surrounds are transfigured by a change of light and the passage of time is what most compels him to paint; how the most quotidian of subjects can be transformed and elevated by communion with them. He studied at the Royal Drawing School and the University of Brighton.
Tim Patrick - 'Figure 01'
Oil on paper, 50 x 41.5cm
2022
£450
To inquire about purchasing any of the artworks on display, email events@cafod.org.uk.