Creative philanthropy in the days of coronavirus
Sitting with Boaz Zippor in his quiet garden hidden in a small soi, it seems he’s found what makes him happy and brings him satisfaction.
“I already had my small share of fame and already made a little bit of money for myself and my family, wore the fancy suits and ate the hi-so food, but that gets old very fast, it means very little. Now, with the creative philanthropy project every baht I raise actually makes a difference in someone’s life, and for those who have so little, that difference can be life changing.”
Last year, the artist organised six charity-art sale events with 100% of all sales going directly to the Gift of Happiness Foundation, bringing not only joy and laughter to children who have nothing, living in garbage dumps, refugee camps and orphanages around Thailand, but also delivering donated school supplies, clothes, toys and medical equipment to these neglected communities.
“I have chosen to help the Gift of Happiness Foundation, founded by Eddie Haworth, because it is a small and extremely transparent charity foundation where all the money actually goes to good use,” he added.
Zippor, a veteran of the marketing, branding and advertising world, has brought his decades of experience in these fields to the charity world in order to maximise the effects of his project.
“As we all know, artists are not really good with money and usually have a hard time promoting their work. My experience in marketing gives me an advantage that other artists don’t have
and I am glad the years I spent making a lot of money for big corporations are now paying off in my charity work.”
Zippor, a true renaissance man, poet, writer, musician and internationally acclaimed artist, got his fame in Thailand by taking personal photos of the who’s who of Thai society, with family shoots for clients ranging from actors to A-list figures. In 2018, after years of hiatus, Zippor started the “creative philanthropy” project with an aim to help poor children around Thailand.
Zippor declines offers of gallery exhibitions and does his pop-up charity art sales in 5-star hotels and restaurants, a decision that comes from his marketing background and years of owning and running Boka Gallery, a prominent fine-art photography gallery at the time, and an unofficial centre for writers, filmmakers, artists and musicians, both expat and local.
“I am thankful for the experiences I had there, the people I met and the exhibitions we did, but let’s face it — art is not really a ‘moneymaking’ business and this time my one and only goal was to raise as much money as possible in the shortest possible time. Hotels and restaurant events bring a bigger crowd, especially people who normally do not go to galleries, and doing pop-up oneday sales means I can spread my events better through the year.”
As Haworth and the Gift of Happiness Foundation are already a hallmark in Thailand’s charity scene, and have so many followers and supporters, Zippor’s energy and initiative was enhanced and multiplied by the help of many venues who received these events with open arms.
“We sometime underestimate how many good people there are out there, because a lot of them don’t really know how they can help. I was shocked at the positive feedback and help I got this year from everyone around me.”
Zippor’s new line of works is a peculiar hybrid of photography and modern art, which initially left a lot of visitors perplexed and intrigued.
“I got bored and started playing around with my old photos, reconstructing them in a way that is new and original, mirroring, doubling, augmenting and creating harmonious and spiritual but sometimes bizarre and disturbing art. They feel like paintings more than photos. I was very surprised at how many works were sold last year, but my guess is that it is more about donating to the charity than my work.”
So what is waiting for us in 2020? “First we have to pass the next months of social distancing but as soon as it is possible, I will start again. I am taking this time at home to work on a whole new collection of works, as I feel I owe my audience a new experience every time they come to one of the charity exhibitions.”
For information and donations visit, gohappiness.org.