William to view art exhibition offering fresh perspective on homelessness

The Prince of Wales is looking forward to touring the exhibition showcasing established creatives such as photographer Rankin and emerging artists.

The Prince of Wales is to tour an exhibition showcasing art on the theme of homelessness (Maja Smiejkowska/PA) (PA Wire)

The Prince of Wales will tour a ground-breaking homelessness exhibition featuring some art created by former rough sleepers.

William’s Homewards project, which aims to develop a blueprint for eradicating homelessness in all its forms, is the driving force behind the art attraction which opened at the Saatchi Gallery in London in August.

Called Homelessness: Reframed, the exhibition features sculptures, photographs and everyday objects given a new life by artists, who may have experienced homelessness, in a bid to tell personal stories and give a fresh perspective on the issue.

The prince is said to be looking forward to touring the exhibition, which runs until September 20 and showcases established creatives such as photographer Rankin and emerging artists.

Award-winning social justice artist David Tovey created Home 2013, a shed-like structure made from scraps of metal and panels from a Peugeot 206, the model of car the artist lived in for six months.

Mick Clarke, chief executive of homelessness charity, The Passage, said Mr Tovey had used the charity’s services and now hosted art classes at one of its residential projects.

He added: “What I love about the Reframed exhibition is this gives an opportunity again to put a spotlight on how we’ve got to get homelessness away from something society thinks is inevitable and something that we manage, to something that can be prevented from happening.”

The Passage, which William supports as royal patron, helped the Homewards team find artists for the exhibition, and its chief executive added: “You have this exhibition where it’s taking people on the journey of homelessness and the trauma people have been through, but also the positivity coming out the other end.”

The attraction has three parts: a collection of mainly hand-drawn signs sometimes seen next to a person sleeping rough, artwork commissions, and doors turned into art by young people, from the six areas where Homewards is working, during workshops led by local artists who have been homeless.

During his visit William will meet some of the artist who have contributed to the exhibition, including Rankin, and chat to some of the young people who helped create the artwork from doors.