Paul McCartney Curates War Child Benefit: 61 Artists Auction Work for Sound & Vision 2026
The upcoming Sound & Vision charity event will showcase the creative contributions of sixty-one artists, each interpreting a lyric chosen by Paul McCartney. The featured lyric is from "Band on the Run," reflecting the collaboration's emphasis on music's power to inspire. Notable participants include Genieve Figgis, Alvaro Barrington, and Sanya Kantarovsky. This initiative, founded in 2024, aims to aid children impacted by conflict. An online auction is set to take place from October 27 to November 12, 2026, concluding at 3 PM BST. A live exhibition is also planned for November 6-8, 2026, highlighting the artists' work.
Key facts
- 61 artists created original work for Sound & Vision 2026 in aid of War Child
- The works respond to the Paul McCartney lyric 'Well the rain exploded with a mighty crash as we fell into the sun' from 'Band on the Run'
- McCartney personally selected the lyric and has supported War Child since The Help Album in 1995
- The online auction runs 27 October to 12 November 2026, closing 3pm BST (10am EST)
- An accompanying exhibition takes place at Iconic Images Gallery from 6 to 8 November 2026
- Sound & Vision's first edition in 2024 was inspired by a David Bowie lyric
- Gemma Peppe, curator of Sound & Vision and founder of AOAP Projects, commented on the artists' response
- Participating artists include Genieve Figgis, Alvaro Barrington, Joshua Donkor and Sanya Kantarovsky
Entities
Artists
- Paul McCartney
- Genieve Figgis
- Alvaro Barrington
- Joshua Donkor
- Sanya Kantarovsky
- Gemma Peppe
- Carl Randall
- Marcus Hope
- Nana Wolke
- Alexandrea Beteeva
- Abigail McGinley
- Mercedes Lucy
- Fletcher Sibthorp
- Graham Fink
- Marcelle Hanselaar
- Christina Niederberger
- Elizabeth Power
- Heidrun Rathgeb
- Megan Rea
- Charlie Billingham
- Helena Minginowicz
- Max Renneisen
- Anna Pakosz
- Matt Bollinger
- Joseph Black
- Matthew Clifton
- Nick Grindrod
- Elizabeth Dimitroff
- Alice Kettle
- Ralf Kokke
- Tahnee Lonsdale
- Andrew Torr
- Georgie Huxley
- Jenni Hiltunen
- Natalie Wadlington
- George Underwood
- Grace Lee
- David Harrison
- Andrew Maughan
- Aleah Chapin
- Victoria Cantons
- Xingxin Hu
- Sunkyung Baek
- David Hamilton
- Alex Hannah
- Gill Rocca
- Anne Rothenstien
- Chloe Barnes
- Colin Murphy
- David Rhys Jones
- Zoe Hawk
- Holly Rowlett
- Salvatore Fiorello
- Anaja Hvastija Gaia
- Diana Copperwhite
- Charlotte Gunn
- David Bowie
Institutions
- War Child
- Sound & Vision
- AOAP Projects
- Iconic Images Gallery
- Blur
- Radiohead
- Oasis
- Wallpaper*
- NME
- Rolling Stone
- CN Traveller
- The Face
Locations
- United Kingdom
- Blackpool
- Oria
- Aburi
- Ghana