Street artist Stik, known for his graffiti portraits of stick people, is making Big Issue sellers ‘art dealers’ reports the BBC. The artist is giving away a run of 75,000 art posters printed in four different colours to UK Big Issue sellers.
Stik, who was homeless and struggling to make ends meet on the streets of London in 2011, told the BBC “I wanted to put the art in the hands of the homeless people… turn the art world on its head.” One of the capital’s most influential street artists, Stik once faced death when living rough but turned his life around by becoming a cult figure in the art world. His distinctive stick figures now sell for thousands and hang in the homes of Sir Elton John, Bono, Brian May, Tinie Tempah, and the Duke of Kent.
“This is street art and it makes sense that people who have dealership are on the streets” Stik explained. He hopes that the project will encourage people to interact with the homeless people and empower the Big Issue Vendors. Stephen Robertson, chief executive of the Big Issue Foundation, said it was “a terrifically generous act” and “a powerful statement from an artist.
