Interview with Martin Whatson
When philanthropy meets art, usually wonderful things can happen. When the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) collaborated with TOMS, and later involved Norwegian stencil and street artist Martin Whatson, wonderful things did happen.
NRC, TOMS and Martin Whatson made their way to Zaatari and Azraq, two Syrian refugee camps located in Northern Jordan to bring some colour to the lives of those who lived there, and offer a pair of TOMS to the Syrian children both in Jordan and their neighbouring countries.
Zaatari, a traditional tent camp had almost 83,000 refugees at the time Whatson visited. Azraq, a camp built from sterile white metal shelters, was intended to host up to 130,000 refugees.
“When you’re approached with the chance to actually go to an operating refugee camp and give something back to all the people forced to leave their homes its something you really can’t say no,” he said.
The unique project involved a workshop where the children of the camps collaborated with Whatson on art pieces that were then taken back to Norway, exhibited and sold to fund new art projects and art supplies in each of the camps.
For Whatson, it was important to show the children that even they had the opportunity to express their opinions and thoughts and to contribute to something that ultimately improved their own lives. When it came to the art, it was important for Whatson to adapt the content to fit in with the religious and cultural distinctions to both the people working in the camps, and the refugees themselves. He spoke to those working in the camps, and many of the refugees to find the content and subject that mattered the most. What came to life was a platform for expression, fun and positivity where children could be children.
Their visit, Whatson described, brought excitement to the children of the camps. “Art, its something, that to me we could use to brighten up the surroundings. A refugee camp is a very disheartening place…. most of the refugees just wanted to return to their country and build their homes back up,” says Whatson. He’s a fervent believer in art being some kind of wonder drug for existential hardship. “I think art can, if only for a few people, make their days a little better.”
“For someone who has never experienced anything close to a war, just witnessing the immense amount of people driven out of their homes and on the run was contrast enough for me. As always I tried to use colors as a way of showing contrasts.”
Whatson’s content features contrasts, and is renowned for its distinct quality. He painted the inside a youth center, a space different to where you might find Whatson’s work, such as a car park or block of flats, but the intention behind the stenciled pieces lends them a certain omnipresence, in that they can exist anywhere, in any context. “The good thing with a stencil is that its translates well in almost all spaces, taken out of context and its surroundings it could have been a wall at a school here in Norway, or in a refugee camp in Jordan,” he said. While his work has this universality, the children also connected with the work, as they could find a way to express themselves during their time at the camps. The children connected with this style, and with one of Whatson’s pieces – a drawing of an anonymous child – which he painted on one of the walls. “To me it just showed how the kids really needed to express themselves,” said Whatson.
An experience such as this would surely have an impact on any individual, and for Whatson, it seemed to build upon his already philanthropic approach and thinking of art making for change and impacting for the good. “I have always been very devoted to giving back,” said Whatson. “I’m lucky enough to live from what I love doing, and giving back is an important factor for me. What I learned from the trip to Jordan and the refugee camps is that no one can do it all, but we can all do something, and that would make the world a better place. So I’ll just continue doing work for charity as often as I can. I have never been to Africa, so I wouldn’t mind going there.” A close friend of his is currently building a school in Kenya which he hopes to visit and paint within when built.
Next up for Whatson is his work in Cities of Hope, a first of its kind event to be held this month in Manchester. The event was created by Vestige, a not for profit social justice organisation, that uses the arts to inspire action on the social issues that define our time. Nine of the world’s best street artists will be taking part, with the objective of producing a mural around a cause that resonates with their own values. These nine murals form a gallery of hope across Manchester’s Northern Quarter helping amplify the values of the people of the city. Then, in June Whatson will have a dual show with UK artists SNIK in Paris.
Stay tuned for more.
www.martinwhatson.com
www.nrc.no
www.toms.com
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