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AN exhibition featuring a collection of celebrity jeans that have been magically transformed into art pieces to raise money for refugees, has received a stunning revamp to attract even more visitors to view and support the initiative.
An artistic installation concept has been developed for The Jeans for Refugees by Johny Dar attraction and it will now feature a display of 65 pairs of jeans at Bahrain’s MODA Mall.
As reported, GulfWeekly has teamed up with the organisers of the project to raise funds and awareness of the plight of refugees as part of our annual Ramadan Community Campaign. The hand-painted denims belong to some of the world’s most famous stars of fashion, music, stage and screen.
“Each pair of jeans will be displayed on glass that is anchored in a small box of sand. They will be available to buy in this arrangement at no extra cost and have been made exclusively for the Bahrain exhibition,” explained Kashi Money, Johny Dar’s director of PR & communications.
“These complete art pieces will be ideal for homes, offices and showrooms alike, and we want to really push the market to participate with the aim that Bahrain can break the record as the country that has participated most in the campaign so far on a sales level - specifically during the holy month of Ramadan.”
The new look pieces are likely to attract corporate heads wanting to get involved in the project and have an exclusive art work on display in their head offices, as well as collectors and philanthropists.
American artist Johny used metallic paint to create the intricate 3D designs on the donated jeans and they are being sold to raise funds for the International Rescue Committee (IRC) - an organisation helping to restore health, safety, education, economic well-being and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster.
The paintwork on the jeans may look abstract, but in reality each piece is a customised artistic tribute to the celebrity who wore them.
Some of the jeans currently on display in Bahrain belonged to A-lists stars including Victoria Beckham, Carla Bruni, Candice Swanepoel, Pink, Usher, Salma Hayek, Eva Longoria, Harry Styles and Emma Watson.
“Emma has her own personal fairytale going on that shows so nicely in how her jeans turned out,” Johny told GulfWeekly. “I really loved working on these - it was like painting a story and getting to know it while I painted.”
Fairytale is an apt description as the 27-year-old actress, who rose to prominence after landing her first professional acting role as Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter film series, has just starred as Belle in the live-action Disney adaptation of Beauty and the Beast, opposite Dan Stevens as the Beast.
The film has earned more than $1.2 billion at the box office, which as of this month, made it the highest-grossing film of 2017 and the 10th highest-grossing film of all time.
Her donated jeans can be snapped up for 12,000 euros, around BD5,000 which is a snip compared to the price of a jacket donated by singer Elton John, now on display at ART Rotana Amwaj Islands.
The five-star resort is one of the partners for the exhibition and its affiliated events and will be hosting a gala closing ceremony on July 1.
They will also be displaying some of the items during Ramadan and Eid prior to the celebration, including Elton’s jacket and Emma’s old Harry Potter compatriot Daniel Radcliffe’s donated jeans.
The actor’s wearable art-piece can be magicked away for 15,000 euros, around BD6,480. “Painting Daniel’s jeans was a steady ride, with a sense of complete confidence, no matter where the ride takes you,” said Johny.
“There’s a dynamic movement in the design of his jeans, and different painting techniques incorporated - hand-drawn geometry, and arrow patterns - which reminded me of Harry Potter’s signature scar - in blue and indigo that play with the cut and movement of the denim. There are also details in 3D metallic steel along the legs, like a code.”
Sir Elton John donated a jacket to the initiative since he doesn’t wear jeans - it is an original Versace blue leopard print creation that has been redesigned and hand-painted by Johny Dar for the Jeans For Refugees initiative. It is available to buy for 25,000 euros, around BD10,600.
All the other items available are listed at www.jeansforrefugees.com/shop with prices.
A special invitation-only Ghabga live auction dinner will be taking place tomorrow night at the Sheration Hotel Bahrain, following a reception in MODA Mall’s jewellery court to celebrate the new installation.
Star artist and designer Johny Dar will be flying in especially to attend and will be speaking at the event.
‘I could not have brought Jeans For Refugees as far as it has come if it wasn’t for the beautiful souls that stood by me and by this initiative. I believe that we are all connected and we all influence each other.
As children growing up we are faced with the actions of the adults around us - that are quite focused on me first and then the world. My personal gain versus the gain of humanity as one. I always believed that we are here to help each other.
I’ve been a refugee all my life because I always believed in heaven on earth! I’ve been given so many talents, and all I wanted to do with these talents is to inspire humanity to rediscover itself - and rediscover the possibilities of life.
We think of ourselves today as so advanced, and so ahead in comparison with where we are coming from in history. And you would think since we are so advanced now and so connected, we should be able to resolve all these disasters that are caused by humans - by being able to utilise the seven billion of us that live on this earth - to work together towards enhancing the quality of life for all.
I started Jeans For Refugees to restore my faith in humanity and to restore humanity’s faith in itself. There is hope. We can all agree that we are all connected through the internet and our smart phones and social media platforms, therefore we should be able to realise that simple need that the world is desperate for today. The need for us to hit the pause button, and rethink our actions, adjust our perspectives, in order to secure a bright future for the generations to come.
I’ve come to discover one more time that we are really all refugees our own bodies, until we come to find home in the heart again - that heart that knows if it doesn’t pump the blood to every part of the body, that part of the body will die, so if anything knows that we are all connected - the heart knows that the most.
So please take this moment, put your hand on your heart, and feel your heartbeat one more time. And remember the generosity of your own heart in your own body.
If it wasn’t for the generosity of your heart, you would not be here today, having this experience right now.
I would like to thank the people of Bahrain and, in particular, MODA Mall and the Bahrain World Trade Centre, for being the first to host Jeans For Refugees in the Gulf region.
I hope that the people of Bahrain will be inspired to own the Jeans For Refugees, because owning these art pieces is more than owning an art investment, or a piece of celebrity memorabilia - it is safeguarding a symbol of hope for a brighter future for humanity’
- Johny Dar
