AN inspiring teenager who raised more than £100,000 through his global art project is back with a new exhibition.
The 13-year-old Noah, who has cerebral palsy, launched an art project during the first lockdown which saw him collaborate with hundreds of artists across the world to support the children’s ward at Colchester Hospital.
By painting an abstract background on a piece of cardboard, Noah and his stepfather Nathan Jones, 48, asked artists to add their own design to the bright and bold artworks.
Hundreds of paintings were then sold in a week-long eBay auction and the budding artist, who is better known by his artistic name Background Bob, even hosted his own exhibition at the Firstsite gallery in Colchester.
Now Noah and his father, who live in Dedham, have launched a second auction, featuring unique collaborations from across the globe.
Nathan said: “We have 240 piece of work from artists of all abilities - there were NHS staff, teachers, amateur artists and professional artists.
“It is a completely inclusive project.
“The whole project takes about a year to put together.
“We started painting last April and then we started sending out to countries over the world -Australia, Canada, America and Europe.
“It takes a little while for the artists to get their pieces and return them.
“This time we reached 241 artists who were completely new from the first project.”
Last year’s auction raised £100,000 which enabled Colchester Hospital to build and kit out a whole new sensory room and to revamp the garden area.
Noah’s family is hoping to support the same cause again, with the auction having already accumulated £13,500.
Nathan said: “We are a family who spends quite a lot of time in hospital ourselves because of Noah.
“The idea is to use the money to brighten up the area and improve it so that the hospital stays are less stressful, a bit more bearable and a bit of fun.
“Wherever you are based, every penny is a massive benefit and will be spent in the most appreciative way.”
You can follow Background Bob’s project on Instagram @background_bob.
For the auction visit bit.ly/3tsEWHt.
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