K-Auction to fundraise for children affected by Turkey-Syria earthquakes

K-Auction, a major art auctioneer in South Korea, will host an online charity auction starting Saturday to help children affected by the earthquakes that killed at least 50,000 people in Turkey and northwest Syria last month.

The charity auction will run through March 14 jointly with the Seoul-based nonprofit AIF Children, offering 100 works by 76 artists who have agreed to help. Between 50 to 100 percent of the profits from the auctioned item, except for some fees that will go to the artists and cover operating costs, will be donated through the Korean Red Cross, according to the auction house.

The donation will include art supplies for the children who were caught in the devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake and its aftershocks.

Participating artists include conceptual artist Lee Kun-young, sculptor-painter Lee Sarah, and painters Ha Tae-im, Kim Myeong-sik and Cha Young-seok. The painting “Bodyscape 76-1-2019” by Lee Kun-yong will start at 28 million won ($21,500), while the painting “Mashup_52” by Cha Young-seok will start at 1.5 million won at the online auction.

The online charity auction will close at 4 p.m. on March 14. An auction preview will be held throughout at K-Auction’s headquarters in Gangnam-gu, southern Seoul. The auction house does not plan to disclose the amount of funds raised at the moment, according to the auctioneer.