DUBLIN.- Irish charity, The SCOOP Foundation, will bring over 70 contemporary artworks to auction in Dublin’s city centre later this month. Working alongside Mealy’s Auctioneers, the charity art auction takes place on Sunday 25th March in Bagots Hutton, Ormond Quay and all funds raised will go towards supporting displaced families in Syria and Iraq, as part of SCOOP’s Syrias Vibes campaign.

The collection features work from top Irish artists including photographer Richard Mosse, David Uda (Duda), Lucy Doyle, Eamon Colman, Maser, Jim Fitzpatrick, Jesse Jones, Kate Beagan, Tim Goulding, James Earley, Nick Miller, Mo Kelly, Joby Hickey, Patricia Murphy, Aideen Barry, Eoin McCormack and Ruth Ashenhurst.

One of the highlights of the art auction is a special portrait by Irish artist Duda. The portrait is of Monaleza Khalid Taalo, a girl Calvin James (founder of The SCOOP Foundation and Syrias Vibes) met during his time in Syria and Iraq, as Calvin explains: “Monaleza was abducted by ISIS and sold into slavery in August 2014 and was held captive in Mosul until July 2017. I took her picture when five buses of Yazidi were given special permission and escort to Sinjar on the 3rd anniversary of the Yazidi genocide by Isis. It was the first time she saw her destroyed home since she was abducted. Irish artist Duda created a captivating piece of artwork from my photograph, which serves as a haunting reminder of the horror of war”.

This is the seventh art auction hosted by Syrias Vibes, and thanking artists for their continued support, Calvin James said: “Huge thanks to all the artists who donated special art pieces for the art auction later this month. It’s all for a great cause and we’d like to take the opportunity to invite everyone to come along to the auction in Bagots Hutton for the chance to bid on an exciting collection of contemporary artworks. I have first-hand experience of the devastation and poverty that countries such as Syria and Iraq are living in – I left Syria in tears and a shadow of myself after seeing so many horrible things. Nothing prepared me for what I saw. I appreciate not everyone is in a position to volunteer on the ground but supporting events like the Syrias Vibes Art Auction is one way of ensuring help reaches people who desperately need it.”