Harry Hill, Opake, Real Hackney Dave and more design Christmas wrapping paper exclusively for Big Issue

Every Christmas, British people purchase hundreds of thousands of miles of wrapping paper. But why settle for snowflakes, bunches of holly and smiling Santas when you could wrap your gifts while fighting poverty too? 

It’s become a festive tradition for the Big Issue to team up with some of the country’s best contemporary artists to create exclusive, collectable Christmas art wrapping paper. 

This year’s collection goes on sale this week. There’s a stellar line-up of artists including Dave Buonaguidi (also known as Real Hackney Dave), The Cameron Twins, Bunmi Agusto, Hello Marine, Graphic Rewilding, Rebecca Strickson, Harry Hill, better known for his comedy than his art (so far), and Opake, whose lived experience of addiction and rough sleeping inspired many of his surrealist pop-art graffiti-style works.  

The Christmas wrapping paper will be on sale in the Big Issue Shop from today (7 November). Limited-edition single-image prints of each artist’s design are priced at £39 each. You can also buy a pack of five sheets of regular wrapping paper for £7.99. The wrap is printed on recycled paper and packed in recyclable plastic. 

Graphic Rewilding – In the Garden of My Imagination

Artistic duo Catherine Borowski and Lee Baker were pursuing “a sense of wild abundance” when they created In the Garden of My Imagination. 

With “layers and layers of joyous flowers emanating vibrant colours”, the pair wanted to improve wellbeing with a palette that’s warm, sumptuous and a mood-buster during the grey winter months. “It’s been shown that even images of nature have an impact on our mood,” they told Big Issue.

Homelessness and lack of quality housing is a cause close to the Graphic Wilding‘s hearts. Borowski grew up in a cramped council flat in North London, and knows first-hand how “living in a concrete box covered in black mould” can affect emotional and physical health.

“We both feel strongly that a society can only thrive when the population has good quality secure housing,” Borowski said, “so when Big Issue invited us to collaborate on this project it was a no-brainer.”

Christmas is an inspiring time of year for the pair, she added, and their art wrapping paper reflects their hopes for this festive season – “to run away to the sun, to forget Christmases of old, to reclaim the memory and the idea of Christmas”.

And Graphic Rewilding’s wishes for everyone in Britain this winter are simple – food that can be cooked easily and cheaply, and a warm place to live.

The Cameron Twins – Lucky (Blue)

The Cameron Twins, a collaborative artist duo of identical sisters, work with vivid colours to explore ideas around childhood imagination, dreams and mirror symmetry – relating to their identities as twins – within their signature garish style. 

Working across screen print, digital montage, photography, casting, sculpture and installation, the print process is of particularly significance to Abigail and Phebe’s art.

Collected and exhibited internationally, the Cameron Twins have already successfully collaborated with global brands, sold at Bonhams alongside Basquiat, Hirst and Emin, and found their way into the private collections of Hollywood stars. They have built a cult-collector base across the world with sold-out shows, print drops and exhibitions to their name.

The pair gave this piece to Big Issue in the hope that “its vibrant colours and meaningful message will inspire an uplifting atmosphere”.

The design features 16 different symbols of good luck drawn from cultures around the world, arranged into a bright, dynamic pattern that would look striking when repeated on the wrapping.

“We enjoy including hidden details in our artwork for the viewer to discover,” they told Big Issue, “bringing an element of playfulness, so there are some lucky symbols that might be a little more challenging to spot.”

The Cameron Twins hope creative projects like Big Issue’s Christmas wrapping paper offering “can be used to help raise awareness, shine a light on [the housing emergency], and raise funds to provide vital support to people in need”.

Harry Hill – See You There

You know him best as a British TV and comedy stalwart. But Harry Hill has long been expressing himself through art too – painting, photography and sculpture, to name a few, all exhibited at the Royal Academy of Arts in 2021 – and he has created this exclusively for Big Issue’s Christmas wrapping offering.

Hill’s signature offbeat presenting style is reflected in this artwork, injecting a bit of colour into a dreary winter and reminding us that there’s plenty to look forward to.

Bunmi Agusto – Braided Sekere

Nigerian-born artist and writer Bunmi Agusto was named one of Artsy’s Ones to Watch earlier this year. Her work combines painting, drawing and printmaking, and takes inspiration from West African aesthetics.

The braid, like that featured in her piece for Big Issue, is the leading motif in Agusto’s art. “I use its weaving to illustrate the interlacing structures and systems as I build worlds in my work,” she said. “I also use the braid for its malleable geometric properties so for this Christmas wrapping paper, I chose to remap the patterns of braids into those of the Nigerian percussion instrument the Ṣẹ̀kẹ̀rẹ̀.”

The Ṣẹ̀kẹ̀rẹ̀ features a network of beads wrapped around a dried gourd. It’s an instrument that is “easily accessible and played”, Agusto added, “so [she has] mostly played the Ṣẹ̀kẹ̀rẹ̀ at parties and places of worship.” That’s why she chose the pattern – as a symbol of celebration and community.

Big Issue was one of the first organisations Agusto was introduced to when she moved to the UK as a teenager, and she’s passionate about everyone’s right to suitable housing.

“Rent and general costs of living keep going up and homelessness gets worse,” she said. “Especially as it gets colder this season, suitable housing would one of the top priorities [this winter]. Of course it be nice to get people a want for Christmas, but we are still at a stage where a lot of people need.” 

HelloMarine – Fleur IX

Paris-born artist HelloMarine redefines the idea of still life through her work, putting her own on twist on the familiar. Her 16-year-long career has seen her work with the likes of Dior, Lacoste, Penguin and even the Big Issue, which featured her art in its cover in 2009. 

The bold, colourful flower in her piece for Big Issue “symbolises growth and renewal”, she said, and “represents the potential for a brighter future, even in challenging times”.

HelloMarine’s Big Issue cover, published in April 2009, was one of the first magazine covers of her career. “I got involved with Big Issue because I believe in its mission to help and empower individuals experiencing homelessness,” she said.

“Art has the ability to raise awareness and I wanted to use my skills to contribute to this cause. The Big Issue not only provides a platform for vendors to earn a living but also helps to change societal perceptions around homelessness. Being part of this project feels like a meaningful way to make a little difference.”

This Christmas, Marine hopes everyone will have access to the things often taken by granted by many. “Without sounding too obvious – a warm meal, some clothes and a shelter are basic necessities that unfortunately not everyone has access to,” she said. “Making sure everyone has those seems like a good place to start, doesn’t it?”

Opake – Fu@k It’s Christmas!!

Opake – otherwise known as Ed Worley – is a prominent London artist whose experience of addiction and rough sleeping inspired many of his surrealist pop-art graffiti-style pieces.

He reimagines iconic cartoon characters like Pink Panther and Mickey Mouse to explore mental health, addiction and the breakdown of pop culture. Opake’s work was recently featured in the Saatchi Gallery’s Homelessness: Reframed exhibition.

“Einstein’s theory of insanity is that it’s repeating the same action over and over again, but expecting a different outcome,” Worley said. “And to be blunt, as a homeless crackhead, I lived by that rule. Making the same mistake over and over again. You live in that Groundhog Day.”

The art is a repudiation of that cycle, Worley explained.

“With the art, it’s the same action, same image, over and over again, but creating a different outcome.”

For the Big Issue, he’s created a series of Mickey Mouse faces tumbling into each other. Don’t worry: for all the radicalism of its message, he said, it’s also just a great bit of Christmas wrapping paper.

“I toned down that dark underbelly a bit. Maybe it’s a look of shock from Mickey Mouse! Like, ‘Oh wow, look at this amazing gift that my parents have bought me!’ he said.

“If you understand what the actual meaning is and the deeper meaning of it, then wicked. But if you’re looking at it and you’re like, ‘I love Mickey Mouse!’, then that’s cool as well.”

Rebecca Strickson – Kickin’ Ass

Rebecca Strickson explores the power of community and collaboration through her art. And her wrapping paper piece – titled Kickin’ Ass – is inspired by the traditional imagery of trade union banners and protest placards.

Her use of bold palettes, psychedelic compositions and typography – an aesthetic harking back to the 1960s – won her a place on the shortlist for the Association of Illustrators award twice.

“[When creating the piece] I was thinking of my journey as a working class artist having to navigate the industry with no one ahead of me to guide the way,” Strickson explained. “I felt it was a great design to ‘gift’ to Big Issue for a Christmas Wrap – what better time to get a message under people’s noses to remember the arts are in crisis for working class people than getting it on a present under the tree?!”

Supporting “anyone in this world at a disadvantage through any reason” is something Strickson is passionate about, making her work and Big Issue a great fit. “If I can help raise money to help the most vulnerable in our society – and we say that a lot but what does it really mean? I think it means people on our streets at what may be their lowest point – then it’s a no brainer.”

Dave Buonaguidi aka Real Hackney Dave – Wrap It Right

Real Hackney Dave first supported the Big Issue’s art wrap back in 2021, and has contributed a brand new design to this year’s collection. David Buonaguidi, based in Hackney, East London, specialises in creating evocative, often funny hand-printed screen prints on vintage maps and retro adverts.  

“I wanted to create a montage of a lot of my artworks in my favourite colours – as a reminder to me of the transition I made from my old life to my new life as an artist,” he said.

“Big Issue plays a very important and essential role in modern society. I think that art and the celebration of creativity can be a force for good and change,” Buonaguidi added. 

But the artist – unlike several of his contemporaries who contributed to Big Issue’s art wrap – isn’t a particularly big fan of Christmas. He recognises that a lot of people across the country struggle with a lack of connection around the festive period.

“I love and often need the break, but everyone goes away and everything is closed,” he said. “And as an artist that’s devastating.

“I also love roast spuds and cold turkey sarnies, but it does get lonely and boring. Being around others is great, and I get why some of us feel isolated and disconnected.”

Do you have a story to tell or opinions to share about this? Get in touch and tell us more. This Christmas, you can make a lasting change on a vendor’s life. Buy a magazine from your local vendor in the street every week. If you can’t reach them, buy a  Vendor Support Kit.