Glastonbury comes to London - Fundraising exhibition for Greenpeace

Glastonbury comes to London

One of Britain's leading painters and Glastonbury festival’s artist in residence, Kurt Jackson, is exhibiting portraits of Lily Allen, Radiohead, Massive Attack and other stars of Glastonbury 2009 in London’s gallery@oxo on the Southbank. The paintings and sketches of artists, bands and scenes from the festival will be auctioned in aid of environmental direct action campaigners Greenpeace.

Michael Eavis, the founder of Glastonbury, describes how it came about –

"My daughter Juliet, who lives next door to Kurt, phoned me years ago to tell me of his amazing work. We were all immediately convinced of his artistic skills and he was appointed our "Artist in Residence". From then on all is now history as his terrific ability speaks for itself. His paintings hang all around the world, portraying the unique atmospheric colours and shades of perfection that our Festival creates."

Jackson has been Glastonbury’s artist-in-residence for many years, creating dynamic and exciting work in the unpredictable environment of the festival crowd.

"Fun and politics are a great mix – so… I go to Glastonbury Festival to work – I sketch and draw and paint and scribble above the crowds, in the crowds, under peoples feet, in their faces; I aim to immerse myself in the Glastonbury experience and come away with some kind of record on paper showing what I’ve seen, felt and experienced.” he explains.

The exhibition comes just before the fortieth anniversaries of both Greenpeace and Glastonbury Festival. The two have been intimately entwined throughout the years with Greenpeace running its own field since 1995. Jackson describes the close relationship he has with both -

"The great thing about Glastonbury is that it’s about fun and delight (and a bit of hedonism) but also engages with the serious issues of the future of the planet and our environment. Forty years of Glastonbury – I’ve been at most of them, I’ve painted over a quarter of them. Greenpeace has also been there throughout my life and their fortieth is coming up. Glastonbury and Greenpeace have become entwined, woven together as an important strand of my working and political life."

The free exhibition opens in the gallery@oxo in the Oxo Tower Wharf on Wednesday the 19th of May, closes on the 23rd and then reappears in the Bargehouse on the 2nd to join the the Heathrow Contest - innovative architectural designs for the 21st century fortress Greenpeace will use to resist BAA's bulldozers on the site of Heathrow's proposed third runway.

Jackson's work will be auctioned online via the Greenpeace Ebay Shop and can also be viewed on the Greenpeace website - www.greenpeace.org.uk/kurtjackson . Four to five of the paintings will also be auctioned live at an invite only event at the Bargehouse on the 3rd of June.

Kurt Jackson, 2009 Glastonbury Exhibition

gallery@oxo, Wed 19^th May – Sun 23^rd May 2010. 11am – 6pm

Bargehouse, Wed 2^nd June – Sun 6^th June 2010, 11am – 6pm

Oxo Tower Wharf, Bargehouse Street, South Bank, London SE1 9PH

For more hi-res pictures, information and interviews, please contact the Greenpeace press office on -

020 7865 8255 or email graham.thompson@uk.greenpeace.org

More of Jackson's paintings can be viewed at his website www.kurtjackson.co.uk

activism, art, art exhibition, bands, environmental, festival, fundraising, glastonbury, greenpeace, music, painting, sketches