British artist Marc Quinn has announced a new travelling public artwork which will be made from the blood of refugees.
The work, Odyssey, will consist of two cubes of frozen blood – one consisting of blood donated by refugees, and one created from donations made by non-refugees. Visitors will not be told which cube is which.
The work will be made of donations from more than 5000 people, and will include a structure designed by architect Norman Foster and his foundation.
The artwork will initially be shown outside the New York Public Library in late 2019, before going on a global tour, which will include a stop in London.
The aim of the work is to highlight the refugee crisis by emphasising how, regardless of a person’s refugee status, participants share more similarities than differences.
The project has been backed by celebrities including Sir Paul McCartney, Sting, Bono and Dame Anna Wintour, who are confirmed to be donating blood to the artwork.
Quinn is best known for his work Self, a self-portrait which consists of Quinn's head cast using his own frozen blood.
For more information, visit bloodcube.org
