Pejac & Avant Arte

HOPE is an unprecedented collaboration between artist and printmaker. With the edition, Pejac reinterprets his iconic crevice which, seen up close, you will be surprised to see is made up from a multitude of tiny, individually-painted people. Each one plays their part in an overarching story of humanity. In the first print, just three figures appear, in the second, there are six and so on until the final print in the series of 1000, which features several thousand figures – each one unique.   

In every print new people appear, making each one different from the one before. We apply gold leaf to one of the new figures. In that person, a collector can recognise themself amidst the crowd.

Pejac

The prints will be released sequentially in eight drops over four days, with each drop allocated to collectors in a randomised draw.

Timings

Prints 1-125 · draw opens 15 July at 10:00 (UK time)
Prints 126-250 · draw opens 15 July at 18:00 (UK time)
Prints 251-375 · draw opens 16 July at 10:00 (UK time)
Prints 376-500 · draw opens 16 July at 18:00 (UK time)
Prints 501-625 · draw opens 17 July at 10:00 (UK time)
Prints 626-750 ·  draw opens17 July at 18:00 (UK time)
Prints 751-875 · draw opens 18 July at 10:00 (UK time)
Prints 876-1000 · draw opens 18 July at 18:00 (UK time)

Each draw will close when the next draw opens. The final draw will be open for 24 hours.

How to buy a print

The series of 1000 prints are divided by edition number into eight equal groups. Group will be available at different prices, and will be released in a sequence of drops starting on 15 July, each one a randomised draw. The draw for each group will be open until the draw for the subsequent group begins. At this point, winners will be selected, notified by email and their orders will be processed. Edition numbers within each group will be allocated at random.

I felt that now was the time to do something completely different. With HOPE, I wanted to restore the democratising meaning of an edition by allowing a greater number of people to acquire one of my works. The price range varies: the most affordable in the early editions, and as the series progresses the price increases. This is my way of bringing my work closer to the people who have been supporting me for so long, but haven’t had the chance to collect.

Pejac

A story of HOPE

HOPE was born in 2020 when, at the height of the pandemic, Pejac painted a mural on a hospital in his hometown – Santander. Seen from afar, thousands of figures formed the illusion of large crevice. The artwork quickly went viral online, and became a symbol of hope for many.

Begun in the middle of 2023, our collaboration is centred on the question of how hope is found or created. To create the original work, Pejac undertook a month-long residency at Make-Ready in London. Each of the 1000 prints represents a unique moment within the evolution of HOPE, made possible by meticulous documentation and close collaboration between the artist and expert printmakers.

It's a completely innovative format. I would say it's a living work. It's not a run of 1000 prints, HOPE consists of 1000 different works that together tell a story.

Pejac

In the earliest editions the crevice is yet to form. Instead, there is room for contemplation around isolated figures. As more are added their stories become more complex and interconnected. In each print a single figure is highlighted in 24 carat gold leaf, applied by hand. Once the crowd reaches critical mass in the final 125 prints, the word ‘HOPE’ appears, also applied by hand in gold, towards the lower right corner of the artwork.

In life, and in art, many times we only manage to understand what we have when we step back far enough. In contrast, being too close prevents us from understanding the true nature and dimension of what surrounds us.

Pejac