In support of the Big Issue, East End street artist Stik is turning the magazine’s vendors into art dealers this week. If you pick up the 11 March edition you might be lucky enough to find one of four prints that he has created between the covers, some of which have been signed by the artist himself.
Distributed amongst the copies of the Big Issue magazine, there are 30,000 blue prints, 30,000 red, 10,000 yellow and a mere 5,000 orange. If you manage to collect a copy of each one before anyone else (which might involve buying quite a few magazines from your local seller!) you’ll become the proud owner of an exclusive red print signed by Stik.
Stik has very strong feelings about homelessness – he’s been in that difficult situation several times himself. Supporting this art project using his own funds, he said:
“Being homeless is one of the most debilitating things that can happen to an individual. All the support systems rely on you having a home. My stick figures don’t have mouths, they are silent, but people see them. Most homeless people are invisible as well as silent. The Big Issue gives them a voice and I hope this collaboration reminds people that the people selling The Big Issue are trying really hard to help themselves, and to get out there and speak to them.”
You’ll be familiar with Stik’s figures if you travel around London – usually set against a bright primary colour background, they’re particularly thick around Shoreditch where his studio is based, but you’ll find one of his latest over at the Big Issue’s offices, which he painted in their vendor area to brighten the place up!
Just to note that there are some rules around collecting the exclusive red print, to ensure that its the Big Issue sellers that benefit from your generosity:
To claim the signed print for collecting all four pieces email a picture of all four posters (red, orange, blue and yellow) to [email protected], detailing where you bought your four magazines and your name and address details. The picture must be no bigger than 1MB in size. The winner will receive a non-folder red poster signed by Stik. The winner will be announced on the 25th March 2013.
Whether you manage to pick up a copy of Stik’s work or not the Big Issue is a good read, and buying a copy directly supports people who have struggled with homelessness (vendors get half the cover price of £2.50 for every copy they sell). Find out more about the other things that the Big Issue Foundation does to support homeless people here.
About Pete Stean
