William to visit exhibition on homelessness at the Saatchi Gallery

The Prince of Wales last year launched the Homelessness programme.

The Prince of Wales (right) with trainer Rob Cox during a visit to Faithworks Carpentry Workshop in Bournemouth, Dorset (Andrew Matthews/PA) (PA Archive)

The Prince of Wales is to visit an exhibition which gives artists affected by homelessness a chance to share their stories.

William will attend the Homelessness: Reframed exhibition at the Saatchi Gallery in London on September 5 where he will meet some of the artists.

The prince last year launched the Homelessness programme, which aims to show a route to the end of homelessness and which has collaborated on creating the exhibition along with the Eleven Eleven Foundation.

A Kensington Palace spokesman said the exhibition “brings to life the breadth and complexities of homelessness and aims to help the public to engage with, and better understand, the stories of those who have experienced the issue.

“During his visit, His Royal Highness will meet artists who have contributed newly commissioned pieces for the exhibition, alongside those with lived experience who have inspired some of the artwork.”

Artists who have provided works for the exhibition include Marc Quinn, Dave Tovey, Simone Brewster, Opake, and poet Surfing Sofas.

The spokesman said: “The exhibition, which has been created with the support of lived experience advisers, is split into three main sections.

“The first, Invisible Words, features a poignant collection of signs, donated by Eleven Eleven Foundation, created by people experiencing homelessness worldwide.

“Often overlooked in daily life, the signs capture a range of emotions from shame and desperation to humour and resilience, encouraging viewers to reconsider their perceptions.

“In the second section of the exhibition, Reframed, the prince will view newly commissioned pieces by artists who have reflected their own or others’ experiences of homelessness and hear more about the stories behind the artwork.

“His Royal Highness will then visit the final section, Open Doors, which features doors made by children and young people from the six Homewards locations – Aberdeen, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, Lambeth, Newport, Northern Ireland and Sheffield.

“Created with the support of local artists with lived experience of homelessness, the doors symbolise the diverse paths to ending homelessness, serving as metaphors for the opportunities and challenges for those facing the issue, and emphasising the importance of community and support.”

The prince will also meet children from Creative Kids, a charity in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, who took part in one of the workshops.