Sacha Jafri – whose paintings are loved by Bill Gates, George Clooney and Madonna – is lighting up the future for children
The British artist has raised US$48 million for charity by auctioning off his works over the past 20 years
OCCUPATION
Artist
SOURCE OF INSPIRATION
The more damaged the soul, the more I want to connect because the more I feel I can learn from them, and the more I’m inspired to keep painting. I think there’s an exchange there. It leads me to want to feed back into the soul of the Earth.
Sacha Jafri is happy with the awards he has received, but he is looking forward to another kind of award. “I have to say that I’d rather get an art award,” laughs the British painter, “because I’m always questioning whether I’m a great artist or not”. Yes, he was shortlisted for a global art award, but the awards that more readily come Jafri’s way are for his humanitarian work.
And, to this end, he was on track to raise US$12 million over the 12 months to the end of 2018 through the sale of specially commissioned paintings, with up to 20 per cent of proceeds from the collections of 12 paintings he produces every two years also going to charity.
Most of the money goes to various organisations working for children, notably those with mental health or special needs issues, or orphaned refugees from Yemen, Syria and other war zones.