Future Galerie

The Gujral Foundation was delighted to support Future Galerie, a unified art auction and sweepstakes platform, that allows prominent artists and creators to raise money for organizations of their choosing, that are taking deliberate actions to combat systemic injustices and create a more just and tolerable future. Future Galerie is produced by creative production house CANVAS Chicago. CANVAS’ Creative Director Alaiia Gujral, along with co-curators Lonnie Edwards and Dont Fret, assembled an impressive roster of acclaimed participating artists for the inaugural auction, including Max Sansing, Adam Lucas (formerly Hanksy), JC Rivera, Kate Lynn Lewis, Dont Fret, Mauricio Ramirez, Lefty Out There, Langston Allston, Lala Abaddon, Liz Flores, Eva Carlini, Afrokilla, Shaurya Kumar (SAIC), Revise CMW and Troy Scat.

The inaugural auction began on 1st July 2020 and lasted 10 days - those who wished to participate in the auction had the option to bid to win available artwork. Each auction culminated with an Instagram Live Chat with the artists, hosted by Gujral.Alternatively, select pieces were available through a sweepstakes series for those that want to participate at a lower price point to win premium artwork, but still want to support the cause. The sweepstakes series ran for 14 days. This curated selection of artists included several with a background in street art, a subculture that has risen to become recognized as a major branch of contemporary art, but has frequently been rooted in social justice messages.Throughout the duration of the auction, each artist went live on their Instagram pages to give insights about their chosen pieces.

For each auction or sweepstakes, 100% of the funds raised will support organizations of the artists’ choosing, but all are focused on taking deliberate actions to combat racism. For the first auction, charities and organizations the artists had chosen to donate their proceeds to included SkyART, Black Youth Project, Color of Change, Story Catcher Theatre, and several others that support various aspects of the Black Lives Matter movement.