An updated YOOF website is coming soon....
It's a Yoof life
YOOF is a socially motivated organisation focused on curating and celebrating talented ‘Urban Fine Artists’ and promoting their artwork to a local, national, and international audience. Based in Cardiff, Wales and founded by social entrepreneurs Cam Sharpe & Chris Butt in 2021, YOOF is tapping into the energy of urban street art to benefit cityscapes and provide commentary around social change.
Covid has impacted many communities since 2019 and young people have been particularly affected by the limited creative opportunities during the pandemic. This coupled with the change in perception from street art as vandalism to artistry shows its strides towards becoming socially acceptable.
YOOF is at the forefront of promoting this need for change and the overlap with the current mental health crisis.
By commissioning, curating, and promoting emerging talent, YOOF will bring the energy and passion of their artwork and at the same time highlight and support young people facing mental health or relationship issues.
A minimum of 20% of the retail price of all the artwork sold or commissioned is invested directly in support of young people’s mental health services.
PUTTING WALES AT THE FOREFRONT OF URBAN ART
The popularity and acceptance of urban fine art in Cardiff is recognised as being behind other cities like Bristol in the UK and Barcelona internationally; and part of YOOF’s mission will be to elevate Cardiff, and other towns and cities across Wales, with the richness of its urban art, artists, and creativity – putting Wales on the map globally for this rapidly emerging artform.
Urban art is a visual amplifier for ideas, feelings, commentary, and information. While artists have always acted as a mirror to society’s big questions, what makes this art form distinctive is that it is a ‘voice in civic space’. Cardiff and other parts of Wales are undergoing significant urban regeneration and the richness of opportunity exists now to combine urban regeneration & urban fine art.
