Artists Hilary Powell and Dan Edelstyn are auctioning off their work from the past 15 years this Saturday to raise at least £250,000 for a community-led renewable power station in Clacton, the constituency of Reform UK leader Nigel Farage. The auction, which will be conducted by former YBA Gavin Turk, includes a gold Ford Transit van wreckage containing fake banknotes that the pair blew up in 2019 as part of their film *Bank Job*, now reconstituted as a mobile sculpture. An online auction runs until 31 May, but currently only £750 has been raised.
The auction matters because it directly challenges the political and environmental stance of Reform UK, which has received over £2.3 million from oil and gas interests since 2019, according to climate campaigners DeSmog. Powell and Edelstyn describe their practice as "Method Art"—using art to enact real-world change, such as abolishing debt and building a renewable power station. The project underscores a growing trend of artists using their work to fund community infrastructure and make political statements, blending activism with the art market.