Leah Wood, the daughter of Rolling Stones icon Ronnie Wood, has opened up about the work of her ‘inspiring’ father and curating charity exhibition One Planet, One Chance – featuring work by herself and artists including Damian Hirst.
One Planet, Once Chance is curated by artist and environmental activist Leah Wood and Zebra One Gallery, and opens free to the public on June 3, 2022 at Koppel Project, New Bond Street in London.
Featuring artwork by Leah and showcasing pieces including Damien Hirst’s cherry blossoms and Andy Warhol’s Flowers, a percentage of proceeds will be donated to charities Cool Earth, to protect endangered rainforests, as well as Sea Shepherd UK, funding marine conservation activism.
(Image: Leah Wood)
Speaking exclusively to Daily Star, Leah revealed that she is inspired by ‘all sorts of places, from traveling, family and friends to a song, rest, fashion, nature and films’ in her work, as well as finding her dad Ronnie’s constant painting an inspiration too, saying: “My father is a wonderful artist and his work differs from from mine in so many ways.
“His painting for The Ivy of 60 celebrities who eat there, from Elton John and Mariella Frostrup to Jerry Hall is a wonderful piece of art.
“He is always painting, so that’s inspirational in itself.”
(Image: WireImage)
Following in her dad’s footsteps, Leah’s art work at One Planet, One Chance will feature animals and insects including bees, butterflies and polar bears, with Leah revealing she had been creating this body of work since before lockdown – and the significance of the paintings.
“It was close to my heart, worrying that these incredible animals will be endangered or extinct if we didn’t do something quickly to protect them,” said Leah.
“The thought of our children not seeing an elephant or a rhino is terrifying, so I knew I wanted my next work to explore this subject.”
(Image: Leah Wood)
An ambassador for Cool Earth, the exhibition will raise money for the charity and also Sea Shepherd, with Leah saying that she loves working with them, as they are “informative, inspiring and supportive.”
She is also excited to be working alongside Zebra One Gallery, who both wanted to ‘do something for the planet’ and who were ‘on the same page’, saying the ambitious show features art work and photographs by artists including Chris Fallows, which “have also been chosen to move and to provoke discussion about what is happening to our planet and create a desire to conserve what is left of it.
“The featured artists are all passionate about the cause and many are also activists, environmentalists and ambassadors for charities like Sea Shepherd,” said Leah.
(Image: Leah Wood)
She added: “It features old school greats like Damien Hirst and Andy Warhol as well as some really powerful and unforgettable pieces by artists like Chris Fallows, who is showing Lightbox photographic encounters with iconic animals in extraordinary moments.”
Co-inciding with World Environment day on June 5, Leah shared her hopes for the exhibition and its important message, saying: “I hope that our audience will come away with a sense of hope and inspiration, but also a sense of urgency, because time really is running out.
“The provocative pieces in the show will hopefully move people to consider ways each one of us can make changes and contribute to making the planet a better place for everything that lives in it, uniting people and fostering a sense of community.”
One Planet, One Chance is curated by Leah Wood and Zebra One Gallery and will be free to the public on June 3, 2022 at Koppel Project, New Bond Street in London.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
