TAB – Tennis Art Ball at 63 Broadwick Street

Within a small hired space off Carnaby Street, a clash of sport and art has occurred in the name of common decency and good will. On Thursday 28^th of June WJ Magazine auctioned ten artworks in its Tennis Art Ball exhibition. The money is to be given to Greenhouse, a charity organisation dedicated to assisting and helping under-privileged children.

The exhibition consists of ten altered tennis balls, each one created by a different artist. Most noticeable are a sculpture of a tennis ball turning into a ice cream sundae by Juno Calypso, a flesh-coloured tennis ball with a pair of lips grafted onto it by Wendy Mayer, and a ball in a plastic container, unaltered apart from two false signatures of Andy Murray and Roger Federer, created by Conall McAteer Other artists involved are Tereza Zelenkova, Miss Cakehead, Pablo Delgadomc, Hattiest Ewart, Sam Taylor, Ramzi Musa, Rob Flowers, Diana Auria and Samuel Wood.

WJ Magazine is connected with several well established artists, and a charity event using art is highly visual, thus attracting a lot of attention. The theme of tennis was inspired by the current Wimbledon championship’s and Greenhouse’s connection with sport. Greenhouse works in underdeveloped areas, schools and community clubs, encouraging children aged 11 to18 to improve their lives by them realising their full potential through participating in intensive sport and performing arts programmes. This is the first time they have teamed up with WJ Magazine in the name of charity.

As the evening progressed, an overwhelming amount of interest in the art works became apparent. The auction did not conclude that night, rather it continued online. Meanwhile, the exhibition itself can still be viewed until the 30^th of July before the works are collected by their new owners.

The show is an imaginative display of a diverse range of talent. There are even multiple cakes shaped just like tennis balls to buy and eat. The awareness provoked by such a sight in Carnaby Street (an area with such a high concentration of culture) will no doubt drive more attention to the deserving charity.

Alexander Devenport
Photos: Sarah Tsang

Tennis Art Ball is at 63 Broadwick Street until 30^th June 2013. For further information visit the exhibition’s website here.