Every week the Big Issue magazine publishes works by talented artists who have struggled with homelessness, mental health issues or addiction.
It’s unique and interesting work, so in recent weeks we started selling some of the pieces in The Big Issue Shop.
This is real outsider art and we think it’s first class – and it turns out some respected heavy-hitters from the British art scene agreed with us!
“What’s striking here is how many of the pictures are about people and places – humans and homes,” says critic and broadcaster Waldemar Januszczak. “Given how many of these artists have endured or continue to endure episodes of homelessness, it’s tempting to see a connection.”
Turner Prize-winner Jeremy Deller adds: “You get a sense from a lot of the work here that they really enjoyed making it. Really the best way to make art is to do your own thing and just enjoy it. A lot of the best art is made that way.”
“Street Art would be a would be a worthwhile project whether or not anyone saw the art,” says journalist Miranda Sawyer. “These pictures should be seen because these works are great.”
Amy Winehouse – Bryony Marie Fry
Jeremy Deller: This is quite interesting. It’s quite a traditional image of Amy Winehouse, and then you have behind it this sort of bleeding almost, a quite fraught colour scheme. Like blood dripping down, quite acidic. That’s quite an interesting combination – that graphic and then this sort of abstract. That works really well.
Medicine Leaves – Robyn Forman
James Brett: The aesthetic medicine of Robyn Forman soothes both doer and viewer. The making of the art, like the taking of the leaves, is a healer. How rare to see so much in just a little piece of paper.
Jeremy Deller: Abstract artworks are actually very difficult to make. They’re not just a squiggle on a piece of paper, they’re incredibly finely balanced things, and she’s done a really great job of that here. There’s lots of energy and movement in it, and I appreciate that.
Looking for a unusual Christmas present? These artworks and many more are available from The Big Issue Shop.
A4 prints are £15 (+P&P) A3 prints are £25 (+P&P).
Please note, to ensure delivery before Christmas all orders must be placed by Friday 18th December 8am at the latest. Orders can still be placed after this date, however, they will not be dispatched until Monday 4th January 2016.
Dickens the socially mobile cat, written by John Bird and read by Simon Callow
Nice and nasty winds of economic fortune blow Dickens in and out of social mobility. This timely tale tells a story that will pull your heart strings. It will elevate you as you watch the indomitable moggy make sense of the mad passions and ambitions of certain humans. How cat-like for Dickens the socially mobile cat to watch the foibles of funny folk with obvious disdain.
Available now for just £9.99 (+P&P) here. For more great Christmas present ideas head on over to see our full range of products at The Big Issue Shop, always with a Social Echo!
Please note, to ensure delivery before Christmas all orders must be placed by Friday 18th December 8am at the latest. Orders can still be placed after this date, however, they will not be dispatched until Monday 4th January 2016.