Buy Their Art And They’ll Buy Someone Else’s: Maltese Creatives Come Together For ‘Support Pledge’
All around the world, artists have found themselves in a troublesome situation amidst added fears and restrictions related to the global COVID-19 pandemic. Work, teaching, technical support, gallery work, exhibitions and sales have drastically decreased or even disappeared… but that hasn’t dampened the spirits of Malta’s creatives.
Local artist and political cartoonist Seb Tanti Burlò took to his Instagram account over the weekend to announce a simple but potentially incredibly effective pledge:
“I am selling 6 original pieces for no more than €200 each, when I have sold all 6, I pledge to buy another local artist’s work for €200.”
The initiative, dubbed the #ArtistSupportPledge, is aimed at helping out the island’s creatives, be they established or up-and-coming. In fact, Burlò was actually inspired by the initial initiative launched by UK artist Matthew Burrows,
“The concept is a simple one,” Burlò went on to explain. “You post images of your work you are willing to sell for no more than €200 each (not including shipping). Every time you reach €1,000 of sales, you pledge to buy another artist’s work for €200.” Kind of a pay-it-forward for art, if you will.
Only kicked off two days ago, the pledge seems to have inspired a great deal of creatives and art aficionados alike to rally behind Burlò… with four of six pieces having already been sold.
From a roof scape of blue skies over Siġġiewi to a classic politically-fuelled satirical cartoon of “King Chowsef and his rats”, the pieces have not only found a new home, but will inevitably lead to another artist having their pieces sold, hopefully creating an awesome snowball effect that keeps the arts alive during these tough times.
Within hours, a number of Maltese artists had already put up their own collection of pieces up for sale with the same spirit, as more local creatives pledged to join in imminently.
From Gabriel Buttigieg‘s contemporary sketches to Te’ fit-Tazza‘s timeless prints, you can now not only get your hands on some glorious pieces of art by Malta’s most creatives, but also know that you’re helping them out during such a tumultuous time.
“Exhibitions and sales have disappeared,” Seb said on Instagram. “Let’s Keep the arts going.”
To check out the works below, just swipe along each individual artist’s Instagram post.