LONDON, ENGLAND.- The Delfina Foundation will be launched in October 2007 at Christie's during the Frieze week of sales. It is Delfina Entrecanales’ (founder of Delfina Studio Trust in 1988) latest venture supporting the personal and professional development of artists. For nearly 20 years, Delfina Studio Trust contributed to a new generation of highly acclaimed visual artists, including more than a dozen Turner Prize nominees - an unparalleled record for any art organisation in Britain. Now, at 80-years-old, Entrecanales remains energetic and passionate about promoting and supporting artistic potential in different contexts.

As a charitable trust, the Delfina Foundation will host international artists from all art forms in the UK and actively foster and facilitate collaboration and conversation via these residencies. It will develop joint artistic projects and a wide-ranging education programme, including intimate salons, participatory projects and large public events. The Delfina Foundation will also work with international partners to create opportunities for British artists to travel abroad as part of mutual exchanges. The initial focus of the foundation will be cross-cultural exchange and collaboration between artists in the UK and Middle East.

Delfina Entrecanales says: “For the last 40 years, I have created spaces for artists and visionaries to share and debate ideas and working practices, informally and also formally through Delfina Studio Trust. After several visits to Syria and Jordan, I became aware of how isolated artists are in the region and decided to start this new foundation to facilitate dialogue between artists living in the East and West. In this day and age of major change and conflict, I believe it is of utmost importance to support artists, who are intrinsically both cultural ambassadors and agents of change.”

The foundation is independent and non-political with a Board of Trustees including Andrew Brown, Mark Muller QC, and Delfina Entrecanales as Chair. The Delfina Foundation is also developing a group of advisors including several prominent people from the arts, law, politics and media such as Jon Snow, Baroness Helena Kennedy, Robert Wyatt, Baroness Elizabeth Smith, Taher Qassim and Sheena Wagstaff.

Boutros Boutros-Ghali, Former Director General of the United Nations and Patron of the Delfina Foundation says: “As Article 27 and the UN Declaration approaches its 60th anniversary next year, the need to uphold cultural rights and deepen them through international exchange is essential now more than ever, given our current political environment. The Delfina Foundation plays an important role in engendering international relations by building links across divided and isolated artistic communities. In doing so, it is strengthening the voices of these communities and supporting artists to usher more of us through the gates of peace, stability and greater understanding.’

The Delfina Foundation’s first round of artistic residencies coincides with its launch. In collaboration with the British Council Syria, Fadi Yazigi, an established visual artist, and Hala Muhanna, an up-and-coming curator, will be residence for three months at the foundation’s headquarters – a renovated, terraced house in Victoria with flexible live and work space for up to four artists, including office space and a intimate gallery/salon room.

The Delfina Foundation’s official launch event will be held at Christies, King Street, London on 11 October 2007 at 4.30pm.