Proceeds from sale of Banksy sculpture will aid refugees

A Banksy sculpture is up for sale during Miami Art Week at the satellite fair Context Art Miami (until 4 December), with up to 50% of the total sales benefitting Choose Love, an advocacy organisation that provides humanitarian aid to refugees around the world.

Dream Boat is a coin-operated piece that debuted in 2015 as part of the mysterious artist’s “Dismaland” project, a pop-up dystopian theme park in Somerset, England. The arresting fibreglass-and-resin object depicts a crowded boat of refugees. In its original display, the boat floated around a dingy outdoor fountain, chased by a menacing miniature coast guard.

In 2018, Banksy announced on Instagram that he would be raffling off Dream Boat for just £2 per ticket, donating all the money raised through the sale to Choose Love. Dream Boat was awarded to the participant able to provide the most accurate guess of the sculpture’s weight. The winner teamed up with Ballon Rouge Art Advisory and the Montreal-based S16 Gallery to find a permanent home for the piece.

“We are entertaining offers until 4 December,” Ballon Rouge’s president Jon Bucci said in an email to The Art Newspaper. “We have received significant interest and numerous offers.” Bucci added that the final sales price “will certainly be in the millions but the final amount remains to be determined”.

Choose Love’s programmes reach more than three million children in 120 countries, and the organisation has raised more than $80m for its partners across the globe.