Natalia Kapchuk’s Philanthropic Mission Behind The Summer Gala
Artist and Eco-activist, Natalia Kapchuk with artwork Night Flight, 2020 from The Lost Planet Series #5 | Image provided by the press office of Natalia Kapchuk at FprBuro Communications Agency
How artists are uniting art, culture, and social responsibility through fundraising events
If you’ve ever been to a philanthropic event put on by amfAR, UNICEF, Gabrielle’s Angels, or COSF, you know that in addition to celebrities attending, the pre-dinner cocktail hour, laughter and libations that auctioned art is center. Art from renowned artists like Damien Hirst, James Tyrrell, Khen Shish, and Andy Warhol are known to be auctioned and sold for the benefit of a gala. But one thing is needed and key for these philanthropic events is transparency of funds and honest divvying of funds for their respective causes, which requires oversight.
One such artist making waves in this space is Natalia Kapchuk, a Russian-born and London based Contemporary Artist, Eco-Activist, Philanthropist, and Art Collector who is passionate about art in philanthropy, and causes being honestly fulfilled. Her 2022 sculpture, Glacial Iridescent, sold for $58k at this year’s Summer Gala, by Gala One in Saint Tropez. In her work, Natalia seeks to unite art, culture, and social responsibility through philanthropic events such as these- and she sits down with SEELE to explain why.
The uniqueness of Natalia’s art
Natalia’s art is contemporary and rooted deeply in the environment. That’s why you’ll find natural elements in her art like sand, stones, tree bark, crystals, moss, and dried plants, mixed with industrial materials like epoxy resin, polymers, fiberglass, and recycled plastics. “This juxtaposition becomes a visual metaphor for the fragile balance between the natural world and the man-made, allowing the viewer to feel that behind the beauty of our planet lies its profound vulnerability,” she explains to SEELE. It’s through art that she exposes the fragile elements of ecosystems, the urgency of climate change, and the consequences of human overconsumption.
Jamie McDonald conducts the auction for Lot #13, “Glacial Iridescent” (2022), part of The Lost Planet series by artist and environmentalist Natalia Kapchuk, during the Summer Gala by Gala One, Saint‑Tropez 2025
"Glacial Iridescent" at the Summer Gala
It was Lot #13 that Glacial Iridescent was slotted for at the Summer Gala. The meaning behind the sculpture is about delivering a powerful and visual commentary on environmental degradation in polar regions. Quite simply, it’s about expressing the fragile beauty of melting Arctic ice and how it impacts endangered ecosystems.
The opening bid started at $23k and caught the attention of Charles Riva, a French-Italian post-war and contemporary art advisor, dealer, and collector. For him, Glacial Iridescent was his ‘favorite piece of the auction.’ When asked if she was pleased with the sale of the piece, Natalia exclaims “absolutely.”
I was deeply satisfied. It was particularly meaningful for me that the piece, created as part of The Lost Planet series and donated to the organizers, raised €50k ($58k) in support of such impactful foundations as AMEND, Rainforest Trust, and King’s Trust International. This affirmed my belief that art can be far more than an aesthetic experience — it can serve as a true catalyst for awareness and real change.
For Natalia it’s meaningful that the proceeds have gone to these three organizations. AMEND supports getting children to school safely in sub-Saharan Africa with life-saving road safety initiatives; the King’s Trust International enables young people by giving them tools, confidence, and opportunities around the world- working to make sure they have a sustainable future, and the Rainforest Trust fights to save threatened tropical forests and endangered species, as well as uplifting local communities.
The Summer Gala is not Natalia’s first rodeo of philanthropic events she has partnered with. I have taken part in the Global Citizen Forum Charity Auction (where my work raised $50,000 for the Yusra Mardini Foundation and GCCCY), The Auction 2024 at Christie’s (in support of the Terrence Higgins Trust), two editions of Art Be A Part in Dubai (including in 2024, when my piece raised $25k+ for UNICEF India and Dubai Cares), as well as the Better World Fund in Cannes, which supported the Akbaraly Foundation and Amazonia Fund Alliance.
Natalia sees the unique relationship between artists and benefit events as much more than aesthetics, she sees it as a vehicle for meaningful change. “As artists, we hold a powerful tool—visual expression—that can both captivate and educate. When this creative force is aligned with philanthropy, it amplifies the reach of benefit initiatives and helps translate complex social and environmental issues into something tangible and emotionally resonant for people,” she says.
“For me, participation in charity auctions and cultural philanthropy is not only a moral responsibility but also a professional mission. Through these events, art becomes a bridge between beauty and action, awakening awareness and directing attention toward urgent global challenges—from the protection of endangered species and preservation of rainforests to education and youth empowerment. This synergy enriches both worlds: benefit events gain depth and cultural significance, while art fulfills its highest potential as a catalyst for awareness, compassion, and collective responsibility.”
Artist and Eco-activist, Natalia Kapchuk with artwork Lost in Blue, 2019 from The Lost Planet Series | Image provided by the press office of Natalia Kapchuk at FprBuro Communications Agency
When she knew art was her calling, a tool to bring awareness
It was Natalia’s mother that introduced her to art, sculpting to be exact when she was 5 years old. “That was the moment my love for creativity was born,” she says. But this was not her ah-ha moment when she knew she wanted to be an artist. That came much later, she points out.
“A turning point occurred during one of my travels to the Big Island of Hawaii. I visited Kamilo Beach—a place often described as one of the most plastic-polluted spots on Earth. There I learned that local activists collect up to 15–20 tons of debris every year, with 96 percent of it being plastic. The beach was literally strewn with household waste—from toothbrushes and bottles to entire baskets and fishing nets. Standing on the sand where the waves washed plastic debris to my feet instead of seashells, I felt no admiration for nature but deep anxiety and pain, confronted by the scale of ecological disaster,” she says.
It was this confrontation and revelation that forever changed her. “Artistic expression must be more than an aesthetic form—it can and must become a voice for the planet. Art turned into a tool of dialogue, a way to address pressing ecological issues and inspire people toward change. I recognized in it a mission—to unite visual power with social responsibility, beauty with activism, transforming artistic imagery into an instrument of awareness and transformation.”
When looking back to the Summer Gala, Natalia says that she and other artists, whose work was also auctioned, “crated a space where beauty became a catalyst for change.”
“The Summer Gala in Saint-Tropez clearly demonstrates that behind the festive atmosphere and glamorous events lies a true mission — the fusion of creativity and philanthropy for the sake of the future. For me as an artist, it is especially meaningful to witness how artworks can transcend gallery walls, inspire people, and directly contribute to concrete social and environmental projects.”
Coming back to the earlier point of transparency of funds to these causes, Natalia is hopeful and will continue to partner with philanthropic causes that she believes in, like Christie’s in London to the Better World Fund in Cannes, and the Global Citizen Forum. “Such initiatives reaffirm that beauty and responsibility are inseparable, while culture becomes a catalyst for positive change in society, setting a new vector for progress and shaping a culture of accountability,” says Natalia.
