Prints for Refugees – Glass meets photographer and founder Mark Sherratt, to talk print sales and find out more behind this important cause
OVER the last two years especially, the plight of refugees risking their lives to escape war-torn countries and their homes has been impossible to miss and even more impossible to ignore. The situation of Syrian refugees in particular has, for all the devastating reasons become internationally known and reported upon. When overnight Turkish journalist Nilüfer Demir’s image of Aylan Kurdi, the Syrian toddler who drowned in the Mediterranean sea, became global headlines, London based photographer Mark Sherratt pledged his effort to help the cause.
The formula is simple, to sell photographic prints from various artists online. The photographers involved cover all printing and postage costs, so 100 per cent of profits go directly to Doctors of the World – the only charity providing medical aid on the ground to refugees in Calais, while providing crucial care for refugees in clinics across the world.
To date 40 photographers, ranging from internationally renowned Rankin and Dougie Wallace sit next to up and coming photographers such as William Green and Jorge Luis Dieguez and award winning photographers such as Spencer Murphy and Thomas Sauvin have all donated prints. Karen Knorr’s surreal compositions of exotic animals in temples and palaces sold the quickest and are now completely sold out on the site. Landscapes have sold the best, while the striking portraits add a humanistic balance to the work up for sale – prints range from £45 to Rankin’s Free Me print currently on sale for £1500.
Nicola and Jemima from the series One Day young. Photograph: Jenny Lewis
Since the website launched last autumn, Prints for Refugees has raised over £16,000. Baring in mind that £100 pays for one doctor and two nurses to staff a health clinic for one day, their continued contribution and support from those buying prints is phenomenal in such a short space of time. In a world where global corporate charities dominate the non-profit landscape, there’s no surprise why independent charities like this gain popularity so quickly. Glass met up with Mark to talk photography and find out more about this important project.
The Keirin Academy. Photograph: Jasper Clarke
As a photographer yourself, how much time does it take you to run the project?
Quite a lot, there’s lots and lots of emailing which I have to keep on top of. Before Christmas we had loads and loads of sales and since then it has dropped off, which of course makes sense with it being January and people aren’t buying.
How selective are you with the photographers and the prints?
I am quite selective. We’ve got and get loads of submissions, especially when we were on FeatureShoot , which we were on twice, and they’ve been blogging and instagraming our photos which is awesome, so from that we do get so many requests.
Krka Swimmers in Silhouette. Photograph: William Green
Do you have any input on the printing process of the work sold for the project?
Not really, I pretty much let the photographers control this. One of the things I want to do – and I’ve talked to them – is get The Print Space involved.
Aside from being featured on FeatureShoot, how do you promote the print sales?
We have instagram and twitter accounts which help to spread the word.
Who works with you behind the scenes?
My wife Hayley and Eleanor MacNair who’s been great and come on board through one of the photographers who recommended as she does marketing so she introduced us to lots of great photographers.
Beiking Silvermine – The beauty and the beast 02. Photograph: Thomas Sauvin
What prompted you to start the project and how did you decide what to do?
It’s roughly about six months now, after the images of Aylan Kurdi started circulating, I knew I should start doing something. I thought, well I could sell some of my own prints, then I thought maybe other photographers would want to as well, so I emailed seven or eight photographers, some I knew some I didn’t and everybody immediately got back to me.
Why Doctors of the World?
My wife is a doctor and she has volunteered for the charity, so I knew of them anyway – they have a clinic in Bethnal Green where undocumented people can go in and get advice – anybody is allowed primary healthcare, you don’t have to have any kind of documentation but people don’t know that so they can go to this clinic where they’re told what they have access to. Doctors of the World also work in Calais and Germany with refugees.
How long have you personally been shooting for?
Probably, I’d say about 10 years.
Liquor (2013). Photograph: Jack Davidson
Are you interested in any other avenues for the project?
Yes, I want to. I want to keep it going. I’ve been talking to my contact at Doctors of the World and he’s really interested in doing more things with us – he’s talking about getting some of our photographers to come and photograph some of the people at the clinic.
His idea is – because it’s the 20th anniversary of the Bethnal Green Clinic – he wants to get 20 photographs of staff and clients from the past and present, and get photographers to shoot them and then have an exhibition of those prints and maybe our other prints to then auction off all the prints.
That’s an interesting form of documentation – selling prints for a cause, then going full circle and documenting the cause you’re selling prints for and raising awareness in a different sphere.
Yes, there are lots of interesting things we can do.
Cuba. Photograph: Mark Sherratt
Apart from you, who was the first photographer involved with the project?
There were a few that went up at the same time. One of the first ones was Spencer Murphy and then a few of my friends, John Cherry and Andrew Erwin joined.
I love that misty Andrew Erwin shot. Has it sold many?
Yes that’s sold out; it’s an amazing shot. The print we sold was shot on digital but he also has the shot on film but hasn’t processed it yet!
Maid of the Mist. Photograph: Andrew Urwin
Who’s been the most popular in terms of sales?
Karen Knorr who’s an art photographer did a series of animals in temples, she gave us 10 prints and they sold straight away.
Are photographers interesting in giving more once they sell out, or are you more interested in getting new talents involved to keep it fresh?
Some photographers have come back and given more, but I equally quite like introducing new people. There are so many great photographers out there we might as well keep it going.
by Stephanie Clair
For more information about Prints for Refugees please visit here