Sleeping with Art

By Renata Fernandes

Creativity and silver linings. Have you ever seen a Fire Lily? Fire Lily is a tiny flower that only blooms after a forest fire.

Sometimes, in nature and life, we need to go through fires so our own flowers can blossom.

The same happens with modern society. Throughout history, there has been many occasions when war, economic crisis, epidemics and tragedy have given birth to unimaginable beauty. Sometimes they came in the form of art, sometimes technology or social change.

The same thing happened to us since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Each lockdown has brought significant challenges to us individually, but also incredible opportunities to create, renew ourselves and change.

Sleeping with Art is our Fire Lily, one of our many silver linings of 2020 and 2021. During lockdown we were all using social media and technology more, not only to be in touch with others but also to be entertained and to find inspiration online. Art and human creativity were our inspiration throughout all lockdowns. The timeless nature of art and design put our new reality into perspective. They last longer than crisis and pandemics. They elevate us.

This is how Sleeping with Art came about.

Every day I would find one or more incredibly talented artists showcasing

their artwork online using several different social media platforms and websites. I started to share their work daily to both celebrate and appreciate them. After six months, I found myself with an enormous list of artists I would like to buy art from and imagined how wonderful it would be if I could bring some of them together for a small but perfectly formed car art exhibition by invitation only, to show their work to petrolheads like me who might love their work too. Everything starts with an idea, a simple image we can see in our mind’s eye.

What was once a little idea, became the biggest car art exhibition in history and it’s taking place on the 23rd and 24th September 2021 at Lemore Estate in Herefordshire.

How did it all happen? When genuine, positive people with similar passions and vision get together, everything is possible. Sleeping with Art attracted the interest of so many artists and professionals working within the automotive sector that we now have over 75 artists showing their work, several art cars (including Bentley’s latest art car by Rich Morris), prototypes, several automotive brands bringing unique cars to the event, UNICEF UK as an official partner thanks to the generosity of Belgium born photographer Bart Kuykens, and wonderful brands supporting us from year one.

The experience is not quite like anything anyone has ever experienced simply because it never existed before other than in our heads. Imagine going to a really beautiful luxury venue and seeing art throughout the entire estate, including bedrooms, toilets, gardens and public rooms. Imagine that the food you eat and the drinks you try while you are there remind you of cars and that as you walk throughout the property you find car-themed surprises on the way that were completely unexpected, including digital art.

Now imagine that the people attending the event are people like you too, who love cars, work with cars, collect cars, take pictures of cars, design cars and do different activities within the realm of cars.

Now also imagine that if you buy any of the artwork you see there, no matter the price, not only you will be buying directly from an independent artist, but you will also be raising funds to UNICEF the charity leading the largest vaccine procurement and supply operation ever: The Global COVAX Facility. The aim of the initiative is to ensure that all countries participating (over 190) have equitable access to 2 billion doses of the COVID-19 vaccine by the end of 2021.

To make it even more special, b500 magazine is an official media partner and the occasion will mark the launch of B500X Arkonik by Etienne.

And what about the artists? Who are these people?

We decided that we wanted to be inclusive from day one and to showcase the work of seriously well-known artists globally as well as creative people working within the automotive sector who create extraordinary pieces in their spare time too. You will see unique work developed for the event by Rock & Roll hall of fame photographer Gered Mankowitz and royal portrait artist Christian Furr. Camilo Rios (RioCam on Instagram) is coming to the UK and showing his work for the first time outside the US at Sleeping with Art. You will see the work of Derek Gores who developed Hugh Hefner’s Playboy’s cover among stunning work by artists such as Benedict Radcliffe, Stuart McAlpine Miller, Paul Oz, Margot Roulleau-

Gallais, Paul Howse and many others who deserve appreciation and praise. Among the artists is McLaren Design Director Rob Melville who will be showing his parallel work as an artist for the very first time too.

Special is not the right world. Sleeping with Art will be extraordinary and being the inaugural event, everyone attending will be automatically become an “Inaugural Member” giving them the possibility of having first access to Sleeping With Art tickets every year, as well as well as first access to artwork by many of the artists even before they go online.

Unlike the majority of the high-end events and other car events we all go to regularly and love, Sleeping with Art is a unique immersive art event: You can eat and drink creative food and drinks as well as sleep with art and incredible cars near you.

Request your tickets soon Website: www.SleepingwithArt.com Image credits: Lemore Estate, RIOCAM, Derek Gores, Bentley Motors