54 Artists’ Padlocks; Love Hope and Freedom

54 Artists’ Padlocks Powerfully Display Suffering of Hostages & Hope For Their Freedom. At a time when many feel, stuck and alone with their pain, this is a great example of coming together through art.

SSHH’ padlock on left by Deborah Azzopardi

Coloured tied-up my Michal Raz

54 international artists have decorated padlocks expressing solidarity with the hostages held captive in Gaza and the yearning for their release – with provocative and impactful creativity.

Yellow slashed by Monica Winner

“It is appalling that, after more than 240 excruciating days, beyond 100 hostages are still incarcerated and tormented. Whilst words have failed to re-awaken much of the world to their horrific plight, these artists have crafted imagery that serves as a potent reminder.”

Lovelock Art creator Marcel Knobil

The padlocks, which have been customised in numerous innovative ways, are being displayed on Lovelock Hostage Bridge at JW3 (London’s Jewish Community Centre) in Hampstead from June 6^th until June 20^th.

White Bubbles by James Grossman

The Lovelock Art exhibition was launched on the evening of June 5th commencing at 5.45 pm with a photocall of artists together with their padlocks.

Lovelock Hostage Bridge has become the UK’s monument in support of the hostages. Originally populated with padlocks inscribed with the names of hostages, it is now crammed with thousands of padlocks that have been added by sympathisers.

“The ‘My Heart Bleeds’ padlock conveys my visceral response and amplifies the feelings expressed by people around the globe.”

“I chose to paint the eye of Hersh Goldberg Polin after listening to his mother speak and finding her so moving and eloquent about her missing son.  I wanted to paint it from a time when he had no pain or fear but when he could look straight, direct at the camera and innocent of the future. What has been seen cannot be unseen.” 

Artist Georgiana Dacombe

Artists included:- Abigail Schama; Adrian Glasner; Adriana Jaroslavsky; Alex Helfgott; Annabel Boltsa; Anonymous; Arthur Levy; Aviv Benn; Bettina Caro; David Breuer-Weil; Davina Jackson; Deborah Abram; Deborah Azzopardi; Doug Fishbone; Eliane Sarah Tilse; Georgiana Dacombe; Guy Zagursky; Helena Goldwater; Ian Thompson; Itay Hirshberg; Ilana Fattal; James Grossman; Jordan Dawson; Judith Sovin; Jyll Bradley; Julie Held; Kami Shefer; Kara Beiber; Karen Lynn; Karen Russo; Kayla Rimmon; Kimberley Gundle; Laura Godfrey-Isaacs; Martine Kaczynski; Maureen Dor; Maya Twersky; Michele Franklin; Michelle Haig Grainger; Michal Raz; Monica Winner; Nadine Aysoy; Niv Tishbi; Oliver Bloom; Oriel Zinaburg; Rachel Englander; Ruth Novaczek; Ruth Rosengarten; Sandra Shashou; Sharon Pazner; Shelley Levy; Tania Kaczynski; Tanya Levy; Tarra Rosenbaum; Yaron Meyer.

Ceramic faces by Kimberley Gundle

“My padlock conveys the horror facing baby Kfir Bibas and his brother Ariel through imagery reminiscent of Edvard Munch’s ‘The Scream’.”

Artist Maya Twersky

Pamela Crystal, Co-Chairman of The British Friends of the Art Museums of Israel (BFAMI) says: “Art is such a powerful medium as evidenced by these padlocks which express sympathy, protest, care and distress evocatively and creatively.”

Hersh Goldberg Polin’s eye by Georgiana Dacombe

The first 54 people, the equivalent to the number of padlocks displayed, to donate a minimum of £150 to the Hostages and Missing Families Forum will each receive a padlock (randomly allocated through a draw.)

A gallery of the padlocks and the opportunity to donate is viewable at www.LovelockArt.org

Lovelock Hostage Bridge, JW3, 341 Finchley Road, London NW3 6ET

Members of the public are encouraged to visit Lovelock Art any day from June 6^th till June 20^th, 10am – 10pm (except Fridays and Saturdays).