Simon Butler

Instagram: @migrateart

Twitter: @migrateart

Simon Butler is a creative entrepreneur based in London. In 2016, Simon set up Migrate Art, a social enterprise that that raises money through contemporary art to help those impacted by homelessness and the global refugee crisis. Migrate Art has raised over £250,000 for their charity partners and worked with many of the world's leading artists including Anish Kapoor, Mona Hatoum, Antony Gormley, Shepard Fairey and Rachel Whiteread. Simon set up Migrate Art following a career working in many of London's best contemporary art galleries. A 2016 trip to the Calais Jungle refugee camp in France dramatically changed his view of the world and he developed Migrate Art as a way to help. Over the past few years, Migrate Art has become known for sourcing unusual materials from around the globe, such as pencils salvaged from the school of the demolished Calais camp, or ash from the burnt crop fields of Northern Iraq, which are then sent to artists to create brand new work with. Simon also has his own art career, and has exhibited his work across Europe and the US.

Which living person do you most admire?: I find Kae Tempest incredibly inspiring. I am a huge fan of their music, poetry and novels- a true polymath. Watching a live performance is one of the most moving and poignant things I have experienced in the past few years- it has brought me to tears on more than one occasion. It really feels like they are a defining voice of our generation.

What is your greatest extravagance?: Every year I try and set time aside to take an extended travel break. Since I set up Migrate and no longer need to talk to a boss and book holiday time, I try to take a longer period off and explore somewhere new instead of taking short weekend breaks that were easier to fit in around a 'day job'. Day-to-day, work takes up a HUGE amount of my time, so it's important to allocate time to reset and get creative again. Last year I went to visit a friend in Cambodia and fell in love with the place.

What is your current state of mind?: We are opening our new exhibition 'Scorched Earth' at Cork Street Galleries in London in a few days so things are quite full on- my brain is full of a million different things. My current state of mind is 'tired but excited'- the work for the show looks amazing and I can't wait to show people, but there is still a lot of work to finish before we open the doors!

What do you consider your greatest achievement?: Migrate Art is definitely my greatest achievement. It has been a really hard road to take and I have poured hours and hours into the project, but I am incredibly proud of what we have achieved. Being able to work with some of my favourite artists, and also know that we are helping people across the world is incredibly rewarding. it has now grown into a small team of people who are equally as passionate and dedicated as me, and it is a real honour to see this growth and work with people that care so much about what we do.

Where would you most like to live?: This is something I have thought a lot about recently. I am starting to feel like it is time to leave London- I am 31 now, and I live a much quieter life than I did when I was in my twenties. Lockdown showed me what it would be like to live in a quieter place where the pace of live is not so as intense- and that is something am hoping to find in somewhere new over the next few years. I previously lived in Italy for a year, and still have dreams of renovating an old run down farmhouse in Tuscany.

What is your most treasured possession?: Pens and a sketchbook. I find drawing incredibly meditative, and I can get into that flow state very quickly. Whenever I travel somewhere new I try to keep a visual diary and sketch little snapshots of the things around me- it's great to look back a year or so after the trip and remember where I was and who I was with when I drew each page of the sketchbook.

What do you most value in your friends?: I always try and surround myself with people that are both interesting, and interested. I think curiosity is the most important characteristics someone can have- I love to be around people that that are excited by the world and want to learn.

Who are your favorite writers?: I live near an independent book shop so I often get recommendations from the owner, as she has started to understand my tastes. She recently recommended an amazing book called 'The Memory Police' by YōKo Ogawa which I loved. I hate to be a cliche, but I always return to Hemmingway and Orwell- there is something about the way both those guys wrote that I find totally captivating.

Who are your heroes in real life?: I met Shepard Fairey over 10 years ago, when I interned at his studio in Los Angeles, and we have stayed in touch since. I am always amazed that someone that has such a busy schedule always makes time to ask about what is going on in other people's lives- he is someone that genuinely cares. We are about to release two screen prints with Shepard, and it is a dream come true to get to work with him again through Migrate Art.

What is it that you most dislike?: I don't really enjoy the current selfie/ influencer culture. There's nothing worst than visiting an amazing part of the world, or going to a great exhibition or concert and being surrounded by people watching it through their phone screens- it feels like we are forgetting how to actually experience life.

What is your motto?: A couple of years ago I wrote the following phrase in a sketchbook and regularly return to it 'Be persistent, be consistent, be resistant'