114,000,000 Refugees. Cate Blanchett Goodwill Ambassador to UNHCR

Cate Blanchett,  Goodwill Ambassador for UNHCR addressed the European Parliament on the topic of refugees throughout the world. The numbers are astronomical, almost unthinkable in scale.  Berlin cares passionately about the fate of man and the issues which are affecting the planet, particularly wars and the displacement of people. Throughout the summer he has been creating stunning sand drawings to bring this concern to a wider audience. These temporary drawings, at the mercy of the great Atlantic tides, have attracted many visitors to the beaches in Cornwall where they brought messages of hope and awareness and attracted a host of comments. As Berlin was walking home after creating a sand art work a car pulled up alongside him, it was Cate Blanchett who thanked him for creating the work. He said"You like that?" and she replied "Yeah", "You're welcome" was his response. This brief  exchange sparked Berlin to create a lasting record of Blanchett's address to the European Parliament and help bring that unbelievable statistic to an even wider audience. This Neo-Expressionist painting is both tribute to those people like Cate Blanchett and organisations like UNHCR who strive every day to make in- roads into this sea of displaced people, and a clarion call to all of us in global society to have compassion for those less fortunate.
18" x 14"

2024