On Friday 4th September, Maddox Gallery had the honour of presenting an Our Pride print to the doctors and nurses of University College Hospital. The limited-edition photographic print by artist David Yarrow will be displayed at the entrance of the building's Respiratory Ward, which has played a pivotal role in the COVID-19 pandemic.
Our Pride was created for Art For Heroes - our fundraising initiative, which has raised nearly £2 million for doctors, nurses and healthcare workers since its launch in April. Inspired by a desire to support the NHS during the COVID-19 pandemic, we developed a curated online sale of 30 artworks, donated by established and emerging artists including David Yarrow, The Connor Brothers, Joseph Klibansky, Boy George and Noel Fielding. All proceeds will go to HEROES - a charity which supports the wellbeing and welfare of NHS workers on the front line.
DAVID YARROW, OUR PRIDE
The donation of Our Pride to University College Hospital aims to enhance the environment of NHS patients and staff - as well as expressing the enormous debt and pride felt towards frontline workers throughout the pandemic. The presentation was made by Maddox Gallery's Artistic Director, Maeve Doyle. Depicting a lioness, Yarrow's striking black-and-white photograph also captures the strength and courage of those in the medical field.
Discussing Our Pride, Yarrow says: "Finding a picture that somehow represents the pedestal we put frontline workers on is, quite rightly, tough. The picture of the lioness, which I took from a cage immersed in water in January, shows her focus, her fortitude, and her precision. It's a metaphor for what's going on across the country in our hospitals. And of course, there's the words 'lion' and 'pride' which are not totally separable".
At the height of the pandemic, Yarrow sent a signed edition of the print to anyone who donated £500 to Art For Heroes. For every print that was sold a second was donated to a healthcare worker as a thanks for their valued work and dedication, in some cases people nominated frontline workers they knew.
University College Hospital is one of 49 hospitals to have received an Our Pride print. The donation was accepted by Dr Ronan Astin, Clinical Lead for Respiratory Medicine, who devised a non-invasive test for COVID-19 alongside Debajit Sen, Divisional Clinical Director and Maureen Browne, Divisional Manager running specialities.
To make a donation, or buy a work to support the NHS, visit the Art For Heroes website.
