A few famous faces have cropped up over the last few months selling The Big Issue in London – and it’s thanks to Loretto.
The mysterious South London street artist’s painted pieces have given the Queen and Jesus the chance to step into vendors’ shoes to have a cracking at shifting a few mags.
But now you no longer have to prowl the mean streets of the English capital to track down his satirical view of celebrities or his musings on human nature and psychology. Portobello Road’s Graffik Gallery has brought all his work together for a greatest hits showing, running from July 5 to 19, where he will also launch an exclusive screen print.
The artist told The Big Issue that it was Street Cat Bob, who features in many of his pieces, who inspired him to turn his attention to the iconic red tabard. “With his humble origins, the simplicity strength and the power of its message, speaks to me,” he said. “The same can also be said about Jesus, that’s if we leave aside all the religious connotations. But the stories of them both have a lot in common.”
Loretto’s work caught the eye of The Big Issue in January and February this year when his tabard-toting versions of the Queen and Jesus were spotted in on brickwork around London.
And the artist, who uses a stencil and spray paint technique to take shots at the rich and powerful, revealed that he is a fan of the magazine – sort of.
