The Art Heist For Good is a project that set out on a mission to take some of this art, sell it to the highest bidder and use the money to provide clean water, sanitation and hygiene solutions to the people of Kibera who desperately needed it.

Stealing The Art

WATERisLIFE traveled into Kibera and took these famous art pieces. Each piece was exchanged for a brand new metal corrugated roof that would protect the residents from the harsh Kenyan elements.

Selling The Art

Once safely back in the US, we began our search for an art dealer. Eventually we found two. With the help of Julien’s Auction House, WATERisLIFE auctioned off the pieces from the Kibera collection. 

Giving The Money Back

The proceeds from the auctions were able to put the financial equivalent of 30,000 daily salaries into Kibera as well as enough clean water and sanitation practices to help the community for years to come.

With the proceeds from the auctions, we were able to put the financial equivalent of 30,000 daily salaries into Kibera as well as enough clean water and sanitation practices to help the community for years to come.

While never asking for direct donations, WATERisLIFE still saw a 300% increase in donations at the launch of the project.

Art Heist for Good was a ground breaking project unlike anything ever seen before. A completely self-contained charity project, the idea of saving a community through creativity and artwork was boundary-busting and completely unique. This project proved that sometimes you need to break the rules to make the world a better place.

Unlike most charity advertising, we didn’t need to ask for donations. We didn’t need to lie about a billion media impressions either. We simply found something of value in one of the worst places in the world and used it to make a direct impact.

In 2009, acclaimed street artist JR placed murals on the rooftops of Kibera, Kenya – Africa’s largest and most dangerous slum – gaining international fame in the process. As his fame grew, so did the value of the artwork, with estimations reaching over $160,000. And people who made less than one dollar a day lived under million dollar roofs ever since.