More about this artwork:

Our Blood is a major public artwork by Marc Quinn. It is a not-for-profit sculpture, made with refugees and non-refugees, which will launch on the steps of the New York Public Library. Quinn created Our Blood to help refugees, by raising awareness of the ongoing global refugee crisis and raising millions of dollars for refugees around the world.

The sculpture itself consists of two substantial, identical cubes of frozen human blood. One is made from donations by 5,000+ resettled refugee volunteers and the other by 5,000+ non-refugee volunteers. The two anonymous cubes will be displayed in bespoke refrigeration units and housed in a pavilion designed by the renowned architect Norman Foster and the Norman Foster Foundation. The sculpture will reconnect people, both conceptually and literally, using the most fundamental element of humanity: blood.

Our Blood follows Self, a series of sculptures made by Quinn using his own blood since 1991. Each Self sculpture is a self-portrait and uses 10 pints of Quinn’s own blood, frozen in the form of his head. Our Blood is the first time Quinn will work with the blood of other people, choosing this material for its conceptual and material significance.

Our Blood is a multi-layered project. It is a major public artwork, consisting of the sculpture itself and a platform for human connection including a video art installation. Our Blood is a platform for self-expression and story-telling, sparking conversation and debate. It will give an equality of voice to everyone who contributes to it. Each individual blood donor - refugee and non-refugee is given the opportunity to tell their story, share their experiences and explain how they want to help. Our Blood is not only a sculpture but also a library and video archive of human history and humanitarianism. In public spaces, using screens and outdoor media, each hosting city will be virtually populated by films of Our Blood donors telling their stories. With their unique and human stories integrated into the fabric of each city, these individuals will become temporary citizens for the duration of the exhibition. After its first presentation at the New York Public Library on Fifth Avenue, Our Blood will travel to locations around the world.

Through the sale of the artwork (donated by Quinn) and various fundraising initiatives, Our Blood aims to raise millions of dollars to support refugees. 50% of the funds Our Blood raises will go to the International Rescue Committee which is the project’s global charity partner. The remaining 50% will go to further refugee organisations and programmes.

To help raise funds to realise the ambitious Our Blood project, Quinn has also conceived 100 Heads, a significant series of not-for-profit sculptures. The series comprises one hundred concrete portrait busts of refugees living today.

To learn more about Our Blood, visit ourblood.org. Follow now on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and at YouTube

“The paradox of a material which is potentially life and death at the same time, to me, it’s this amazing thing. It’s a symbol of how the body regenerates and how we can change. It’s a symbol of sculpture in a way, of the transformation of art.”- Marc Quinn