WAR CHILD INVITES 52 ARTISTS TO CREATE ARTWORK INSPIRED BY KATE BUSH’S ‘RUNNING UP THAT HILL’ FOR SOUND & VISION 2025

WAR CHILD INVITES 52 ARTISTS TO CREATE ARTWORK INSPIRED BY KATE BUSH’S ‘RUNNING UP THAT HILL’ FOR SOUND & VISION 2025

Peter Doig, Maggi Hambling CBE, Corbin Shaw, Unskilled Worker, and over 50 more visual artists respond to Kate Bush’s Running Up That Hill to raise funds for War Child, the specialist charity for children caught in conflict. 

Bidding starts at just £100 for the original artworks. 

Online Auction Tuesday 28 October – Thursday 13 November
closing 15.00hrs BST (10.00hrs EST) via Givergy

Exhibition Iconic Images Gallery Tuesday 4 – Saturday 8 November 2025

This October, Kate Bush and Art on a Postcard invite 52 artists to respond to a lyric from her iconic 1985 anthem Running Up That Hill, in aid of War Child, for the return of Sound & Vision, an innovative fundraising initiative, exhibition, and auction pairing music and art to raise vital funds to support children caught in war zones around the world.

The lyric inspiring the art, chosen by Kate herself, is “If I only could, I’d make a deal with God.” 2025 also marks the 40^th anniversary of Running Up That Hill and the Hounds of Love album.

“All wars leave horrific scars; ruined lives, families ripped apart, life-changing injuries,trauma, and loss on a massive scale – but it’s the children who suffer the most in somany ways. Their past, present and future melt away into fear and uncertainty. It is more important than ever we support War Child and their invaluable work providingimmediate aid to children caught in conflict all over the world including in Ukraine,Gaza, Sudan, and Syria. Projects like Sound & Vision harness the power of art and music to make a real difference to children living through war. Thank you for supporting this project.” – Kate Bush

 

Artists taking part include Maggi Hambling CBE. Dubbed “the original bad girl of British art”, Hambling’s seismic, seven-decade contribution is held in the permanent collections of the National Portrait Gallery, Tate, National Gallery – where Hambling was the Gallery’s first artist-in-residence – V&A, Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, and agenda-setting, landmark public sculptures.

Peter Doig is widely seen as one of Britain’s most important living painters. His paintings break records at auctions – with Swamped selling for $39.9m in 2021. On Doig’s unstoppable rise, Jonathan Jones wrote in The Guardian, “amid the sheer trash that passes for art in the 21^st century, Doig is a jewel of genuine imagination, sincere work, and humble creativity. For once, the art market has got it right. His art will last.” For War Child’s Sound & Vision 2025, Doig puts forward two original artworks.

When she was selected as the Official War Artist with the British Army in Afghanistan, Charlie Calder-Potts became Britain’s youngest female war artist.  Since then, she has travelled the world, creating work in Iran, Pakistan, Tajikistan, and at Yazidi refugee camps in Iraq, weaving heritage and history to reveal our human similarities across generations and countries. On her first moments in Afghanistan, Calder-Potts admits, “There were moments where I questioned what I had signed myself up for. We’d just left the base camp, and I was the only civilian. About five minutes into the journey, the army had picked up on the Taliban radio that they were heading towards us with a suicide bomber. That was one of the moments where I was genuinely scared.”

Also contributing is Unskilled Worker. After discovering painting at age 48, in just two years, Unskilled Worker, aka Helen Dowdie, shot to industry-wide fame, growing an Instagram following of more than 280k followers. The self-taught painter has won international acclaim from Vogue, The New York Times, Vanity Fair, Harper’s Bazaar, i-D, Dazed, and The Sunday Times. Gucci creative director Alessandro Michele said, “The moment I saw her works on Instagram, I was totally obsessed.” On her meteoric rise, Helen explains, “I’m always trying to get back to my childhood and the wonder I felt as a 7-year-old, and to take people with me.”

Corbin Shaw, who Hypebeast says, “is becoming a household name in London’s art scene”, has built a cult following making textiles, prints, and flags that capture modern-day Britishness through ancient crafts – inspired by the Sheffield football terraces, boxing gyms, and pubs the artist grew up in. Following collaborations with Women’s Aid, Nia Archives, Fred Perry, Martin Parr, and the Pet Shop Boys, Shaw continues his undeniable breakthrough moment with new work for War Child’s Sound & Vision 2025.

Another highlight is Susie Hamilton, the beloved painter and former artist-in-residence at St Paul’s Cathedral, whose portraits of doctors, nurses, and patients facing Covid-19 are held by The Science Museum. Hamilton’s other work can be found in the art collections of Damien Hirst, The Economist, and the University of Cambridge. Future Awards Africa-winner Ayobola Kekere-Ekun, whose Resilient Lines exhibition in Lagos was backed by Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz, also contributes. London-based Ghanaian artist Godfried Donkor was Ghana’s representative to the 2001 Venice Biennale, and his work is in the collection of the National Museum of African Art at the Smithsonian.

Curated by Art on a Postcard founder Gemma Peppé, Sound & Vision 2025 also features new work from LUAP, Hannah Lim, Kate McCrickard, Erin Lawlor, Gill Button, Adam Dix, David Harrison, Gideon Rubin, Boo Saville, Shezad Dawood, Natalia González Martín, and returning to Sound & Vision for 2025, Peter Messer and Nick Grindrod.

 

Running Up That Hill is one of Kate Bush’s best-loved songs. Written and produced by Bush, the 1985 single has been hailed as “one of the greatest songs of all time” by Rolling Stone. In 2022, it was featured in the fourth season of Stranger Things, and the song became a global hit once again with a new audience.

Kate Bush has had 25 UK top 40 hits, 2 UK Number 1s, and a string of globally adored, groundbreaking albums. A singer, songwriter, producer, director, and global icon, her creativity has seen her produce combined visual and audio works with the success of her songs and music videos Cloudbusting, Experiment IV, and Army Dreamers, and her highly acclaimed live show “Before the Dawn. The unforgettable innovation, influence, and magic of Kate Bush remain one of British music’s proudest achievements. War Child UK is honoured to have Kate Bush lead the second edition of Sound & Vision.

War Child protects, educates, and stands up for the rights of children living in war zones. War Child provides vital support to children and their families in fourteen countries across Europe, Asia and the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America. Working in some of the hardest-to-reach parts of the world, War Child is present in several active conflict zones, including Ukraine and Gaza. The charity responds to emergency crises with immediate aid, keeps children safe, and stays long after the cameras are gone to support children in processing their trauma and rebuilding their lives. War Child understands children’s needs and respects their rights.

Sound & Vision will be exhibited at Iconic Images Gallery from 4-8 November.

Kate Bush comments: “All wars leave horrific scars; ruined lives, families ripped apart, life-changing injuries, trauma, and loss on a massive scale – but it’s the children who suffer the most in so many ways. Their past, present, and future melt away into fear and uncertainty. It is more important than ever that we support War Child and their invaluable work providing immediate aid to children caught in conflict all over the world, including in Ukraine, Gaza, Sudan, and Syria. Projects like Sound & Vision harness the power of art and music to make a real difference to children living through war. Thank you for supporting this project.”

Charlotte Nimmo, Fundraising Engagement Director at War Child UK, said: “We are delighted to announce that Sound & Vision is returning, this year inspired by lyrics from the incredible Kate Bush. This is made possible thanks to the immense generosity of both Kate and her team, as well as the iconic artists who are creating and donating pieces inspired by Kate’s lyrics. Creative expression is essential to our work.

“From working with talents like this to raise money to support what we do, to the delivery of our programmes by our teams globally in the form of specialist mental health support, immediate aid, and more to children in some of the most dangerous parts of the world. This work can offer these children hope where there may not have been any left, or a creative outlet to help them process the trauma they’ve been forced to endure. By bidding this year, not only can fans take home a piece by – or inspired by – their favourite artist, but they will be making a meaningful impact in supporting children who desperately need our support.”

Curator Gemma Peppe, Founder of Art on a Postcard, adds: “The combination of responding to Kate Bush’s lyric and raising money for War Child’s work has prompted some great contemporary artists to produce some vibrant and evocative work. Not many people know that Peter Doig asked us if he could take part via David Harrison. I nearly fell off my chair. That’s a testament to the great work War Child does.”

Carrie Kania, Creative Director at Iconic Images, comments: “Iconic Images Gallery is honoured to host Sound & Vision 2025. Bringing together the worlds of music and art for such an important cause reflects our mission to share powerful stories through photography. We are proud to open our doors in support of War Child’s vital work, and to provide a space where creativity can contribute to helping children whose lives have been torn apart by conflict.”

DHL is kindly sponsoring Sound & Vision and additionally providing logistical support to facilitate the delivery of the stunning artworks to the exhibition. As such, DHL is playing an active role in this inspiring initiative, where creativity and compassion have come together for the benefit of children caught in conflict zones around the world.

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