Prince William’s Homewards programme has today announced a ground-breaking exhibition which will utilise the power of art to help improve the nation’s understanding of homelessness and inspire optimism that it can be ended.
Saatchi Gallery in collaboration with the Homewards programme and Eleven Eleven Foundation will this summer host ‘Homelessness: Reframed’, an art exhibition bringing to life the breadth and complexities of homelessness across the country and giving the public an opportunity to engage with, and better understand, the stories of those with experience of homelessness.
The exhibition will display exceptional works from artists in the UK and beyond, sharing pieces inspired by their own or others experiences of homelessness, and will include pieces created by children and young people at a series of creative workshops held across the six flagship Homewards locations.
Artists involved include:
▪ Dave Martin
▪ David Tovey
▪ Marc Davenant
▪ Opake
▪ Rankin
▪ Robi Walters
▪ Sam D’Cruze
▪ Simone Brewster
▪ Surfing Sofas
▪ as well as artists from the six Homewards locations.
Amanda Berry OBE, Chief Executive Officer, The Royal Foundation said: “People need to believe in change for it to happen. Homelessness can feel like it is hard to prevent, but by building understanding of the realities of how it impacts so many we can learn what needs to be done to end it. The exhibition underlines Homewards and The Royal Foundation’s dedication to challenging the long-held perceptions around homelessness. By giving a platform to those with lived experience, we hope to start to shift the narrative and demonstrate that homelessness is not an inevitable part of society. Sincere thanks to our partners, Saatchi Gallery and Eleven Eleven Foundation, for their invaluable support.”
Paul Foster, Saatchi Gallery Director says: “Art has the ability to open our eyes to issues. Works by artists with lived experience, and by workshop participants with no art background, remind us that creativity is not dependent on any status in society and that art offers a means for us to understand the challenges facing so many fellow citizens. We’d encourage visitors to approach this exhibition with an open mind and to question any assumptions they might have about those experiencing ‘homelessness.”
Wendy Abrams, CEO, Eleven Eleven Foundation says: “Homelessness is a heart wrenching, and complicated problem. Art has the power to make you think, this exhibit was put together to do just that. The exhibition is intended to be an ‘exercise in empathy’, allowing visitors to see things they didn’t see before, or to see them through a different lens.”
This special exhibition has been created through a partnership between Homewards, Eleven Eleven Foundation and Saatchi Gallery, under the guidance of creative experts with lived experience of homelessness: writer/director Lorna Tucker and award-winning social justice artist and educator David Tovey.
Launched by Prince William last year, Homewards is a five-year programme with the aim of delivering and demonstrating innovative solutions that prevent and end homelessness, creating tried and tested models that can be scaled. Alongside delivering tangible impact in each of its locations, another central aim of Homewards is to improve understanding of and boost optimism around the issue of homelessness.
‘Homelessness: Reframed’ will open at Saatchi Gallery on Wednesday 7th August and run for six weeks until Friday 20th September.
ENDS
Notes to Editors
About Homewards:
Founded by Prince William and The Royal Foundation in June 2023, Homewards is a transformative, locally led programme, that aims to demonstrate that it’s possible to end homelessness, making it rare, brief and unrepeated. Over five years, Homewards is working with six flagship locations across the UK, [Aberdeen, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, Lambeth in London, Newport, Northern Ireland, Sheffield] to provide them with the space, tools and expertise to deliver and demonstrate innovative solutions that prevent and end homelessness, creating tried and tested models that can be scaled. Inspired by success stories in countries such as Finland and innovative projects in the UK, Homewards will show that by working together we can change the narrative, galvanise momentum, and drive forward lasting change to end homelessness for good.
About The Royal Foundation of The Prince and Princess of Wales:
The Royal Foundation of The Prince and Princess of Wales leads with the belief that change is always possible, and this positive approach sees it involved in issues that have previously seemed too big a challenge to many. The Royal Foundation partners with the best and the brightest, bringing together groups, organisations, and people around particular issues to create lasting change. Through programmes such as The Centre for Early Childhood, Homewards and United for Wildlife, The Royal Foundation has created partnerships that span the globe, collaborating to make real world impact and tangible change.
About Saatchi Gallery:
Since 1985, Saatchi Gallery has provided an innovative platform for contemporary art. Exhibitions have presented works by largely unseen young artists, or by international artists whose work has been rarely or never exhibited in the UK. This approach has made the Gallery one of the most recognised names in contemporary art. Since moving to its current 70,000 square feet space in the Duke of York’s Headquarters in Chelsea, London, the Gallery has welcomed over 10 million visitors. The Gallery hosts thousands of school visits annually and has over 6 million followers on social media. In 2019 Saatchi Gallery became a registered charity, beginning a new chapter in its history. www.saatchigallery.com
About Eleven Eleven Foundation:
Eleven Eleven Foundation is a private family foundation focusing on sustainability, medical research, and social justice. The Foundation strives to develop programming in collaboration with experts and organizations that are implementing the best and brightest solutions to some of the most pressing issues facing humanity. The Foundation looks to support those who have the potential for outsized impact that will transform institutions, systems, communities and the planet at large.