Miami-Based Art & Hope with Artist Sacha Jafri & Ikonick Gallery Auction Art Box for $300K
Art & Hope, together with Global Gift Foundation has partnered with world renowned, Guinness World Record artist Sacha Jafri, Ikonick Gallery and Hatt et Söner to create the project "Sacha Jafri: The Power of the Reconnected World, inspired by Ikonick." Art & Hope was founded in 2021 by the creative agency Zenith Art & Fashion. It is an innovative initiative that partners with the Arts to bring hope to people in need, producing special projects and events to help raise funds for various humanitarian causes. Art & Hope also collaborates with celebrities and influencers to raise awareness around the world for the respective causes they support.
The first project of Art & Hope, “The Power of the Reconnected World,” consists of 100 handcrafted 2’ x 2’ x 16’ walnut-wooden boxes, which encase several exclusive items from the different partners involved in the project. The Art Boxes include one of Jafri’s original pieces of the painting he created for this initiative, which was cut into 100 different pieces for each box; an exclusive Omnes bottle of Hatt et Söner Champagne, also hand-painted and signed by Jafri, a Hatt et Söner exclusive Members Only card, which gives the collectors the unique opportunity to have their own vintage champagne collection; a silver sculpture created by Ikonick Gallery in collaboration with Sacha Jafri, encrusted with semi-precious stones; and a collector’s book, which tells the story of the project and everyone involved.
Sacha Jafri's work has been shown in the most prominent art institutions across the globe. He is described as ‘The Pioneer of Magical Realism’ and undoubtedly this century's true zeitgeist, bringing painting with raw emotion back to the forefront of the art world. Jafri ìs The Journey of Humanity, which holds the Guinness World Record for the largest art canvas, recently sold one of its central pieces for $62 million during a live auction in March 2021 at Atlantis – The Palm in Dubai, making it the second most expensive painting ever sold by a living artist. Jafri painted this ground-breaking canvas at the Atlantis, The Palm’s expansive ballroom over a seven-month period, 20 hours a day during COVID-19, to raise crucial funds to support children around the world who are most affected by the pandemic.
To date, Jafri has reached over three billion people in 140 countries worldwide with the largest artistic, social, and philanthropic initiative in history. He’s also raised over $140 million for charity spanning across his 25-year career. Jafri is one of the world’s top eight sellers of physical artworks, in order now reads as follows: Jeff Koons, David Hockney, Sacha Jafri, Gerard Richeter, Lucian Freud, Peter Doig, Damien Hirst and Jasper Johns.
Art & Hope’s first project follows Jafri's humanitarian mission to raise funds to help the most impoverished children in the world, through highly coveted private events, galas, and auctions in major international cities. The first star-studded Global Gift Gala, kicked off this August in Marbella, Spain, raising a staggering $300,000 US dollars with the sale of just the first Art Box ever produced for the project. This sale set the bar high for the remaining limited- edition boxes that will be sold in live auctions across the world including, London, Paris, Japan and Abu Dhabi, and Art & Hope Gala at Ikonick Gallery during Art Basel Miami this December, to name a few.
Supporters of this project will also help many of the causes under the Global Gift Foundation umbrella, including Casa Global Gift, a day center for children with special needs, Harmony House India, an NGO founded in 2009 dedicated to rescuing homeless children in Gurgaon (India), and The Quang Chau Foundation, a non-profit organization that houses homeless children that have been abandoned, offering them food, medical care, education and everything they may need for their care.
Art & Hope has also partnered with the world-famous, Colombian Michelin Star and celebrity Chef Juan Manuel Barrientos, better known as “Chef Juanma,” owner of El Cielo Restaurants to create The Art & Hope Dish to be served at each event. In Marbella, he presented the Yucca Gnocchi entree, inspired by Jafri’s painting, which combines the four elements of nature in a way that also allows it to portray many of Colombia’s wonders. Also during Art & Hope’s kickoff presentation at the Global Gift Gala in Marbella, Skolnick and Chef Juanma received the Global Gift Philanthropreneur awards for their humanitarian journey, and support to the Global Gift Foundation over the years.
"Art has the power to inspire, educate, and create awareness, bringing about social change. Through this project of Art & Hope, people from all over the world will be brought together, each holding a special piece of the puzzle,” says Cid de Diego, CEO of Zenith Art & Fashion. “In the wake of the pandemic, our goal is to add color and bring hope to those in need through the Arts, and to reconnect the world during such a divisive and trying time,” adds Fakinos, COO of Zenith Art & Fashion.
THE ART BOX: A ONE-OF-A-KIND COLLECTION
These key art pieces will be encased in a limited production of only 100 Boxes. The contents include:
The Painting: Jafri’s work created specifically for “The Power of the Reconnected World, inspired by IKONICK”, cut into 100 pieces. Each piece is set in an Art Box. The collectors of these Art Boxes will become part of an exclusive group of 100 people around the world that will own one piece of the puzzle.
The Bottle of Champagne: Exclusive Champagne House Hatt & Söner, who recently sponsored the AMFAR Gala in Cannes, has created this Vintage Champagne Omnes collection exclusively for this project. Made in Oak from the vineyards of 1955.
The Ikonick Jewel: The unique Ikonick Gallery in Miami and Philanthropist Barry Skolnick, in collaboration with Jafri have created this unique collection of solid silver pieces encrusted with Semi-Precious stones, exclusively created for this project, which are the inspiration for the Art & Hope painting as well.
Hatt et Söner Members Only Card: Each collector will be invited to become part of Hatt et Söner Members Club, which is by-invitation-only, and it includes the opportunity to have their own Vintage Champagne created exclusively for them.
The Book: A wonderful collector's book, designed by Jafri in collaboration with Global Gift Foundation and Art & Hope, that tells the story of the project and how all pieces of the puzzle work together in perfect harmony, to make this journey happen to help those in need.
All items presented in a handcrafted collectible box that encases the collection of treasures, created by Riverland Refinishing Company.
THE PROJECT PARTNERS
GLOBAL GIFT FOUNDATION
Global Gift Foundation is a humanitarian non-profit organization. It was founded in 2013 by the Spanish actress, businesswoman and philanthropist, María Bravo, with the aim of creating a positive impact on the lives of children, women, and families, who are in a situation of vulnerability and / or risk of social exclusion. The Global Gift Foundation started by supporting other Non-Profit organizations, since the foundation grew, it was able to expand its field of action, developing its own projects to meet its objectives. Their Mission is to create a positive impact on the lives of children, women and families who are in a situation of vulnerability and / or risk of social exclusion.
IKONICK GALLERY
IKONICK: The Collection is home to some of the world's finest artworks and automobiles. IKONICK is the brainchild of Barry L Skolnick, an entrepreneur and philanthropist who has an unparalleled affinity for detail. His refined palette for art and art-on-wheels has culminated in a never-before-seen collection of utter visual amazement. Skolnick is the Trustee of The Skolnick Family Charitable Trust, a foundation supporting, among many endeavors, education, scientific research, healthcare, defense of Israel, initiatives to battle Anti-Semitism and literary goals. Skolnick serves as Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees for Mt. Sinai Medical Center (Miami, Florida), and the Board of Trustees of the Make-A-Wish Foundation (South Florida Chapter). He is a Founding Member and Co-Chairman of the Community-Police Relations Foundation and New York's Elite Police Foundation. Skolnick is the main supporter of "Art & Hope’s first project "Power of the Reconnected World, inspired by Ikonick"
HATT ET SÖNER
HATT et SÖNER seeks to preserve the purest possible expression of nature. They embrace manual labor and do not use preventive methods to combat diseases in the vineyards. Instead, they work to preserve a flourishing and diverse ecosystem which they nurture carefully and treat only when necessary. They believe that supporting non-profit organizations and the individuals who work tirelessly to make a difference in the world we live in is not only essential, but also everyone’s responsibility. When they officially launched the concept of Personal Vintage in 2013, they saw this as not only a unique opportunity for their clients to make a change in Champagne but also to make an impact on a global scale for the good of all.
JUAN MANUEL BARRIENTOS
Born in Medellín, Colombia, Michelin Star, and celebrity chef Juan Manuel Barrientos, is known in the gastronomic world as “Juanma.” He is a father, cook, businessman, entrepreneur, lecturer, and peace leader with more than thirteen restaurants, bars and a hotel. He is the creator and founder of Elcielo Restaurants in Medellín, Bogotá, Miami and Washington, D. C., Elcielo luxury boutique hotel in Medellín, as well as other prominent eateries and bars such as Lasere, Cuon, Kaime, Elcielo Classic, Aguafresca, Shibari bar, and El Navegante bar, all in Medellin, and AO in Bogotá.
Juanma is a highly decorated chef and has been awarded prestigious accolades over the years. In April 2021, Juanma and his team at Elcielo Restaurant located in Washington D. C., obtained the first Michelin Star in history for a Colombian restaurant. This is the greatest recognition achieved in Colombian gastronomy. In 2019 he won the award for Ibero-American businessman of the year by CEAJE in Spain.
In 2018, he published his first and best seller book titled “The Recipe for Success,” where he outlines his experiences in the culinary world and what steps he took to find business and personal success. In 2016 Juanma was invited as a lecturer to the World Entrepreneurship Summit (one of the most important entrepreneurship conferences in the world), by former President of the United States, Barack Obama. Until this day, Juanma continues providing his expertise to companies on creativity and innovation, supporting the redesign of the DNA of important companies. Juanma has been recognized as the youngest chef in Latin America’s 50 Best for three consecutive times, and in 2016 he was part of the exclusive list of The World’s Best Chef. In addition to his culinary and business endeavors, Juanma started Elcielo Foundation in 2008. Elcielo Foundation provides culinary training to ex-guerrilla members, soldiers wounded in combat, indigenous people, and victims. Today, Juanma is the Official Chef of Art & Hope and all their projects.
RD PREMIUM DRINKS CONSULTING
RD Premium Drinks Consulting helps luxury brands successfully grow in the US market. They help clients find qualified and experienced wine & spirits importers and distributors in the United States based on the origin, variety and market goals of each product. They rely on long-term relationships and vigorous marketing strategies to support their client’s sales growth goals, creating exclusive, one-of-a-kind experiences to connect clients with luxury brands and customers in the international markets to grow their network. They partnered with Art & Hope to support the exclusive sales of the “Power of the Reconnected World” Art Boxes in the European market.
ZENITH ART & FASHION
Zenith Art & Fashion is a unique Art and Design platform, Luxury Marketing and PR Agency that Unites Cultures through the Fusion of the Arts, bringing together creations by Artists and Luxury Designers from all around the world. Founded in 2016 by two young artists and designers, Carla Cid de Diego & Jonathan Fakinos, with a history of merging the Arts, Zenith Art & Fashion was born from a desire to help create a more inclusive, Contemporary Art & Fashion world, offering exclusive experiences through the Arts. At Zenith Art & Fashion they also offer Art advisory & luxury consulting, giving clients exclusive access to unique & rare artworks from top emerging artists to artwork from grand masters & blue-chip artists. Through Art & Hope, Zenith Art & Fashion designs and produces creative projects to support major non- profit organizations and help different causes around the world and raise funds for those most in need.
Art & Hope works together with a large number of unique collaborators and professionals from all around the world to make their projects a reality: CG Social, Maupy Worldwide, Louisville and Company, Proclamation Jewellers & Avrone, amongst others.
Additional Information
CARLA CID DE DIEGO & JONATHAN FAKINOS- CREATORS OF ART & HOPE AND ZENITH ART & FASHION
Carla Cid de Diego, a Spanish-American Fashion Designer, born in Spain but raised primarily in Miami, has always been immersed in the world of art, having been brought up among a family of artists. Heavily influenced by her father who was a celebrated sculptor and her mother a fabulous painter, both having worked extensively in the United States opera industry on the creation and design of the scenery for an array of productions. At the age of 14 Carla enrolled in D.A.S.H (Design and Architecture Senior High) Miami and began her training in Fashion Design. During her time at D.A.S.H she began to work with Duende Ballet Español, where she designed and created all the costumes for their performances. She continued her training at F.I.T (Fashion Institute of Technology) in New York, where she specialized in womenswear design. Much of her time was spent studying and training in the art of corsetry. Cid De Diego has been designing costumes since the age of 16 for a series of theatrical productions in the world of opera, theater, ballet, musicals, and circus. Including respected institutions such as the Florida Grand Opera, Duende Ballet Español and now the Frost Opera Theater amidst many others. As well as working with great directors and producers, such as Jeffrey Buchman, Frederik Kaufmann, Dean Anthony, and Carlos Fernández de Castro.
Carla joined forces with her partner, Jonathan Fakinos, a Greek-English Architect, and designer, and together they created their brand "Carla Cid de Diego, Madrid", a luxury Fashion brand that fuses art and fashion to create luxury wearable art and accessories. Each piece of the textile part of the collection is handmade by Carla with the most exquisite materials, and the collection of Sculpture bags is created in collaboration with Carla's father, Sculptor Cid de Diego, completely made by hand, creating one of a kind, unique pieces of wearable sculptures plated in precious metals such as Palladium or 24kt Gold. Joining the two worlds of Art & Fashion, Carla and Jonathan created the Agency Zenith Art & Fashion, and through that, now, the platform of Art & Hope.
For more information, images or videos on the Art & Hope project, please contact carrie@cgsocialinc.com or you can visit @artandhope_org. To purchase a limited-edition Art Box, email contact@artandhope.world.