Exclusive: Shepard Fairey says image will hold PM accountable over promise to get people off the streets
The “Hope” portrait of Barack Obama by the US street artist Shepard Fairey came to symbolise a historic 2008 presidential campaign, became one of the most ubiquitous and reproduced political portraits of modern times, and ended up in the Smithsonian.
Fairey’s latest work, of the UK prime minister, Andy Burnham, may not elicit the same response but will, he hopes, deliver a hard-hitting message: one of a promise made.
The portrait, “Home”, captures Burnham in a red Big Issue tabard when, as Greater Manchester mayor, he sold copies with vendor Colin in 2023, and is the front cover of a new collectors’ edition of the magazine.
Designed exclusively for the Big Issue, it’s a reminder to the new prime minister of his pledge to tackle rough sleeping. From Monday, it will be sold on streets, and also be unveiled on the walls of the Saatchi Gallery in London as part of a six-month street culture exhibition, Beyond the Streets.
Fairey said: “The thread that runs through all my work is a push for justice. This portrait reminds us of the pledge Burnham made. Politicians often want people to forget to hold them accountable for the promises they’ve made.
