Dyan Anggraini is among the Indonesian artists whose works are up for auction (All photos: Mercy Malaysia)
For decades, Wembley has been a stage for global causes — where performers, driven by advocacy, have gathered to raise awareness and funds. From Live Aid for the Ethiopian famine to concerts calling for — and later, celebrating — the release of Nelson Mandela, the venue has long echoed with the spirit of solidarity.
Together for Palestine, held on Sept 17, 2025, continued that tradition, aiming to raise humanitarian awareness about the crisis in Gaza. The concert came in the wake of controversy over the BBC’s refusal to air a documentary on Gaza’s health workers, citing concerns that it would compromise its “perception of partiality”. The film later aired to critical acclaim on Channel 4.
Denouncing the BBC’s stance as “cowardice”, the concert’s lead organiser, Brian Eno, explained his motivations in a Guardian article titled “Why I’m hosting a concert for Palestine at Wembley Arena”, where he called for a humanitarian response that rises above the divisions of politics.
He writes: “Politics sits downstream of culture. The stories we tell ourselves and each other are how we develop and share our feelings about this world — and other possible worlds. This gives our storytellers — writers, musicians, artists, actors — incredible power to shape the space in which politicians are able to operate.”
As the concert unfolded, actor Benedict Cumberbatch came on stage to read the stirring words of Palestine’s national poet, Mahmoud Darwish:
“There is on this land what is worth living,
There is on this land, the lady of lands,
the mother of the beginnings and of the ends.
It was called Palestine,
Its name later became Palestine.
My lady: I deserve, since you are my lady,
I deserve life.”
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For more than 15 years, Mercy Malaysia has maintained a continuous presence in Gaza, providing medical relief, psychosocial support, access to clean water and infrastructure rehabilitation. To support its ongoing work, the first Gaza Art Auction was held in 2024, raising a significant sum that, according to the organisation, “[marked] a milestone in creative philanthropy in Malaysia”.
This year, the Gaza Art Auction takes place amid a climate of the greatest brutality, categorised recently by the United Nations as “genocide”.
“Mercy Malaysia has gone in five times now to provide emergency relief, maternal and child care, and psychosocial support for a population in trauma,” explains Suryani Senja Alias, curator of Art for Humanity: Gaza Art Auction 2025. “The decades of conflict have wiped out essential services and critical infrastructure in Gaza. Basic necessities like food and water are alarmingly scarce. Water wells and farmlands are targeted for destruction, leading to starvation. As a result, agricultural recovery has been added to MERCY’s aid effort to help people feed themselves. It is an unimaginable way to live and utterly inhumane.”
Artists participating in Art for Humanity: Gaza Art Auction 2025 include Ahmad Zakii Anwar, Fadilah Karim, Chong Ai Lei, Ilse Noor, Raja Shahriman and Awang Damit. For the first time, Indonesian artists Kartika Affandi and Dyan Anggraini, whose evocative painting stands out, will join the auction. The event will also feature a piece by music legend M Nasir.
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When approached, artists were unreservedly responsive. “The artists I approached were highly sensitised towards Gaza and Palestine,” Suryani says. “Artists feel very strongly about the denial of dignity, freedom and land. Artists like Ahmad Fuad Osman, Ahmad Zakii Anwar, Fadilah Karim, Umibaizurah Mahir Ismail and Hisyamuddin Abdullah created new works in direct response to Gaza for this auction, and their works are stark reminders of how art and artists in visual language can express what we may not be able to articulate, can touch us in ways we cannot imagine. That representation in society is important in itself. The artists were very responsive — I didn’t need to do much persuasion.”
Funds raised from the 2024 auction enabled MERCY Malaysia to deploy five Emergency Working Teams to Gaza under the World Health Organization’s Emergency Medical Team (EMT) Type 1-Fixed Certification. The missions involved 25 personnel — including doctors, nurses and logistics volunteers — responding to escalating humanitarian needs by providing essential medical care, supporting overwhelmed hospitals and delivering critical supplies.
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Encapsulated in the theme of “care and creativity”, the auction raises the perennial question of whether art can truly effect change.
“Art may not change politics, but it does change people and perception,” Suryani says. “And people and perception can sway politicians and politics. Art can offer the material and visual language that people understand and need in order to feel and act. That is the beginning of change. Art can also play a role in challenging and disrupting frameworks, giving an alternative to mainstream ideas and politics.”
As MERCY Malaysia president Ahmad Faizal Mohd Perdaus puts it: “This is more than an art exhibition. It is a movement of solidarity and shared humanity, where artists, collectors and philanthropists unite to respond to urgent needs on the ground. Each item tells a story of resilience, hope and the will to recover, even in the most difficult of circumstances.
“Art has the power to connect us beyond borders and bring attention to those in need. Through this auction, we are not just raising funds but also hope and dignity for the people of Gaza. MERCY Malaysia remains committed to supporting their recovery and well-being, and we invite all Malaysians to join us in bidding for Gaza.”
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Art for Humanity: Gaza Art Auction stands in a long tradition of Malaysia’s solidarity with the Palestinian struggle, beginning with our first Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman. Decades later, during a commemoration of the Nakba — the “catastrophe” — National Laureate Usman Awang took the stage at the Dewan Bandaraya Auditorium. In his gentle voice, he recited his unforgettable poem Salam Benua (Greetings from a Continent), ending with the lines:
“Salam
tanpa visa
pasport
golf
warna
kemanusiaan rakyat
seluruh benua.”
(Greetings without visa, passport, golf, colour, to humanity, people, of all continents.)
'Art for Humanity: Gaza Art Auction 2025' will take place on Sept 28, 2025, from 5.30pm to 7pm at MITEC, Kuala Lumpur. It is held in conjunction with CIMB Artober Art & Soul 2025. For more information, email [email protected].
