New York / London - September 28, 2011 - The MTV Staying Alive Foundation today announced that the inaugural MTV RE:DEFINE art exhibition and auction, held in front of a sold-out VIP audience on Saturday, September 24 at the Goss-Michael Foundation in Dallas, has raised more than $770,000 for the charity. All money raised on the night will go towards the Foundation's work in empowering young people engaged in fighting the stigma, spread and threat of the HIV and AIDS epidemic through inspiring grantee projects around the world.

Simon de Pury, Chairman of Phillips de Pury & Company, flew in especially to host the auction, encouraging the audience of 300 key collectors to dig deep into their pockets to bid for the 30 original works on display. With many of the pieces commissioned especially for the project by British curators, The Future Tense, the bold roster included works from artists including Shepard Fairey, Damien Hirst, Tracey Emin, Gavin Turk, Harland Miller, Gerard Rancinan, Adam Ball and Ben Eine. Testament to the quality of the works on show, almost half of the art lots sold above their high estimate, with the in-room action complemented by almost 70 absentee bidders via online and phone. The star lot on the night, a rare combined spin/butterfly painting by Damien Hirst featuring cubic zirconia, sold for $240,000 to an unnamed phone bidder from Los Angeles. The reception culminated in an explosive 45-minute live performance by The Boxer Rebellion in advance of their major 22-date Northern American tour starting October 13 to promote their latest album, The Cold Still.

"We are absolutely thrilled with Saturday's auction results and delighted that we have been able to raise such a significant amount for the Staying Alive Foundation," said Georgia Arnold, Executive Director of the MTV Staying Alive Foundation. "Thanks to the enormous generosity of each and every artist and gallery, and of course the bidders, sponsors and silent auction donors, the money raised will enable young people to continue their amazing work in raising awareness of HIV/AIDS in local communities around the world."

Simon de Pury, Chairman of Phillips de Pury & Company, said, "On entering the Goss-Michael Foundation's magnificent building I instantly felt a great vibe. The crowd was very handsome, the music pounding and the handpicked art looked fabulous on the walls. From the start of the auction to the final lot the bidding was energetic and relentless. For an inaugural event, it was an outstanding result. I can only congratulate everyone involved in this project at the Staying Alive Foundation, the Goss-Michael Foundation, The Future Tense and most importantly, the very generous artists who each donated strong works. It is my hope that this could become an annual event."

Special recognition goes to Belvedere Vodka, Moet & Chandon, The Dallas Morning News, Neiman Marcus, Hotel Zaza, Ben E. Keith Beverage Company, Land Rover/Range Rover of Dallas, RP Valet and Crazy Water.

Images from the MTV RE:DEFINE exhibition and VIP auction reception can be downloaded at the following link: https://www.yousendit.com/download/T2dkckhUVEhrYUM5TE5Vag

Alternatively click on the image above to view a selection of shots from the event.

With only one day to go before the big event, we're very excited to unveil Ben Eine's exclusive installation in Dallas. His iconic giant letters - known and loved by anyone who has walked the streets of Hackney, London's art capital - can now be seen on the site of the Museum Tower in the Dallas Arts District. This exclusive public piece is accompanied by a spraypaint and diamond dust canvas created exclusively for MTV RE:DEFINE for auction on Saturday 24 September.

Click on the image above to view a gallery of the Ben's Dallas installation

New York, London - September 06, 2011 - The MTV Staying Alive Foundation today announced the final details of its RE:DEFINE benefit art exhibition and auction to mark the 30th anniversary of the discovery of the AIDS virus, including the full list of contributing artists. Event curators The Future Tense have assembled an eclectic roster of 30 original works valued at over $1m from some of the world's most exciting, dynamic and sometimes controversial artists, including painting, photography, sculpture and a large-scale public installation in downtown Dallas by street artist Ben Eine. The 30 contributing artists are as follows:

Lee Baker, Shepard Fairey, Harland Miller, Adam Ball, Katrin Fridriks, Polly Morgan, Peter Blake, Christopher Gascoigne, Gerard Rancinan, Billy Childish, Pam Glew, Rankin, D*Face, Haroshi, Stuart Semple, Brian Adam Douglas, Pieter Henket, Jamel Shabazz, Elizabeth Eamer, Damien Hirst, Benjamin Shine, Ben Eine, Jeremy Kost, Gavin Turk, Tracey Emin, Joseph Loughborough, Dan Witz, Faile, James Marshall and Russell Young.

Hosted at the Goss-Michael Foundation in Dallas, MTV RE:DEFINE will be open to the public from September 16 - 23 with a live auction of all 30 works taking place at an exclusive reception on September 24, hosted by Simon de Pury, Chairman of Phillips de Pury & Company. 100% of the proceeds from the auction will benefit the MTV Staying Alive Foundation, which encourages, energizes and empowers young people who are involved in HIV and AIDS awareness, education and prevention campaigns. Simon de Pury, Chairman of Phillips de Pury & Company said, "Phillips de Pury is thrilled to support the fabulous initiative of the MTV Staying Alive Foundation and of the Goss-Michael Foundation and The Future Tense."

The evening will culminate in a live performance by alt-rock phenom, The Boxer Rebellion who are due to begin a major 22-date tour of North America in October to promote their latest album, The Cold Still. Tennessee-born Nathan Nicholson, lead vocalist for The Boxer Rebellion said, "The Boxer Rebellion are proud to support the MTV Staying Alive Foundation and feel privileged to play at this ground-breaking RE:DEFINE benefit event. We take our social responsibilities very seriously, and to be part of an event with such immense social and artistic merit - aimed at empowering young people all over the world to fight HIV and AIDS - is a real honor for us."

Collectors unable to attend the event in person will have a wide range of absentee bidding options, including the ability to both view and bid in real-time, simultaneous with the live event via the following link:

http://www.liveauctioneers.com/catalog/26168

Full absentee bidding information can be found at: http://www.mtvredefine.com/absentee-bidding.php

The catalogue for the event can be found at: http://www.mtvredefine.com/catalogue.php

Sponsors of MTV RE:DEFINE include Moet & Chandon, The Dallas Morning News, Neiman Marcus, Hotel Zaza, Ben E. Keith Beverage Company, Land Rover/Range Rover of Dallas, RP Valet and Crazy Water.

For further information please visit the official website at www.mtvredefine.com You can also follow the project on Twitter via @mtvredefine and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/mtvredefine

With an impressive roster of artists which already includes the legendary Sir Peter Blake, Rankin, Damien Hirst, Tracey Emin and Gerard Rancinan, we are delighted to reveal the final five artists to donate their work to RE:DEFINE in support of the MTV Staying Alive Foundation. Joining those already confirmed will be prodigious artist, musician and writer Billy Childish, virtuoso Polaroid artist Jeremy Kost, architectural photographer Christopher Gascoigne, emerging artist Joseph Loughborough and of-the-moment street artist Ben Eine.

Performing at the exclusive event and auction on 24 September will be international indie band The Boxer Rebellion whose most recent album, Union, was the first digital-only release by an unsigned band to land in the Billboard Top 100 Albums Chart and whose sweeping, cinematic music was spotlit in Drew Barrymore's 2010 film 'Going the Distance'.

Curated by The Future Tense and hosted by The Goss-Michael Foundation, the RE:DEFINE exhibition will be open to the public from 16-24 September.

The next 5 artists to contribute their works to RE:DEFINE are pop culture pioneer Sir Peter Blake, Brooklyn based street artist Dan Witz, Dutch photographer Pieter Henket and British visionaries Benjamin Shine and Elizabeth Eamer.

For RE:DEFINE all contributing artists were asked to consider the concept of either defining or redefining their work. The theme is a conceptual extension of the incredible work of the MTV Staying Alive Foundation grantees in altering the perceptions of the HIV and AIDS virus through grassroots education and empowerment projects around the world.

We're delighted to announce 5 new artists whose works will be presented at MTV RE:DEFINE.

Established photographer Rankin and sculptor Gavin Turk will exhibit alongside leading exponents of a new generation of British artists, D*Face, Polly Morgan and Stuart Semple.

Curated by The Future Tense, RE:define will feature iconic and specially commissioned works by 30 of the most exciting contemporary artists in the world, all of which will be auctioned in support of MTV Staying Alive Foundation at an exclusive event on 24 September 2011.

New York, London - July 25, 2011 - The MTV Staying Alive Foundation today announced a dynamic new project to mark the 30th anniversary of the discovery of the AIDS virus.

Hosted at the Goss-Michael Foundation in Dallas and curated by The Future Tense, MTV RE:DEFINE will bring together original works, many specially commissioned for the project, from a bold roster of 30 of the world's most exciting contemporary artists, photographers and sculptors, including key emerging talents. All 30 pieces will be auctioned, with 100% of the proceeds benefitting the MTV Staying Alive Foundation, which encourages, energizes and empowers young people who are involved in HIV and AIDS awareness, education and prevention campaigns.

Since launching in 1981, MTV has worked with some of the most influential figures in contemporary art including Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring. For MTV RE:DEFINE, project curators The Future Tense have sourced and commissioned an eclectic selection of original artworks from both established and emerging artists, including Damien Hirst, Tracey Emin, Gérard Rancinan, Shepard Fairey and Katrin Fridriks.

The exhibition will be open to the public from Friday, September 16th and will culminate in a VIP reception on Saturday, September 24th during which all 30 works will feature in a live auction event in support of the Staying Alive Foundation. For those unable to attend the event, absentee bids will also be accepted including via telephone.

Georgia Arnold, Executive Director of the Staying Alive Foundation said, "MTV has always naturally partnered with cutting edge talent and artists, and I'm delighted that we are doing so on this occasion to support the work of the Staying Alive Foundation. Each one of the 30 pieces of art represents a year since the discovery of AIDS and the proceeds from each work will make a huge contribution to empowering young people engaged in fighting the stigma, spread and threat of the epidemic 30 years on. I want to thank each and every artist for their enormous generosity."

Ed Bartlett, founder of The Future Tense said, "Our aim with this project was to bring together a body of work that we felt resonated with both the RE:DEFINE high concept, but also with our interpretation of the past, present and future 'MTV Generation' artists. Throughout the project each artist has truly engaged with these ideals, in many cases commissioning brand new work for the show, and we believe the resulting exhibition will speak for itself."

The VIP reception will feature a live music performance (talent to be announced soon), and the event will be complemented by a full catalogue production, plus support from a range of premium sponsors, including Moët & Chandon, The Dallas Morning News and Neiman Marcus.