Prince of Wales on mission to overturn homeless stereotype with Saatchi gallery exhibition

Homeward project teams up with world famous artists to give dignified voice to real people experiencing life on the streets

The Prince of Wales is seeking to overturn stereotypes about homeless people with an art exhibition focusing on “positive, optimistic” images, pairing world famous artists with those who have lived on the streets.
The Homewards project, which aims to end homelessness in Britain, has partnered with the Saatchi gallery in London for a show intended to counter the “sad” images of people who are homeless commonly used in charity campaigns and other shows.
Lorna Tucker, who has experienced homelessness and worked as a consultant for the exhibition as well as appearing in it, said there would be “no imagery, no art in this exhibition, which feeds into that negative poverty porn that’s usually spouted to raise money”, instead giving a dignified voice to real people and their range of experiences.
Artists involved include world-renowned photographer Rankin and Marc Quinn, as well as up-and-coming creatives such as Dave Martin who sells the Big Issue and befriended Prince William during the course of his work.
The Prince is said to have tasked his Homewards team with “changing the narrative” about homelessness, capturing not just those who live on the street but the hidden homeless, community, positivity and “journey people have been on”.
The exhibition,Homelessness: Reframed, is free and runs at Saatchi Gallery, London, from Aug 7 until Sept 20.
Ms Tucker said it was the “only exhibition I’m ever seen to really radicalise the way we’re thinking and talking about this, to build a positive message”, saying she had wanted to be involved after realising the Homewards team were listening to those with first-hand experience of homelessness.
“It’s so positive,” she said. “It’s smiles and it’s life and people who have really survived something not [just] sitting there looking sad.”
She emphasised that it would not just cover those living on the street, but hidden homelessness including sofa surfing.
After becoming involved in drugs and crime as a vulnerable young teenager, Ms Tucker slept under Waterloo Bridge for two years and went on to experience multiple relapses before being scouted as a model and eventually working her way up to a successful career as a documentary filmmaker.
Now a 43-year-old mother of three, she said she has experienced a “full circle moment” while helping to curate the exhibition after being photographed by Rankin 18 years after he first photographed her as a homeless model. Quinn has used her fingerprint for the latest work in his Labyrinth series.
Quinn said he had agreed to take part in the unique exhibition without hesitation, telling The Telegraph: “There’s no difference between a homeless artist and an artist.
“This is about identity and everyone has an identity.”
Ms Tucker said: “If you walk out of [the show] feeling there is hope, you feel like there’s something you can do about it.”
In particular, Homewards hopes to make the case for wraparound care for those experiencing homelessness, making it “rare, brief and unrepeated”.
The amateur artists will each be supported through the project, practically and from a mental health perspective as they navigate life briefly in the public eye.
It is hoped that the exhibition will go on tour to the six areas of Britain where the Homewards project is running pilot schemes.
Ms Tucker said: “It gives me hope. We have King Charles and Prince William, who are so socially conscious.
“It’s a Royal family that really understands the communities they are there to serve, and that for me is the biggest hope.
“The fact he’s supporting this and putting his energy into ending homelessness … that’s never happened before. When you’ve got a member of the Royal family saying ‘I’m going to dedicate my life to ending homelessness’, we’re in a good place.”
Amanda Berry, the chief executive officer of the Royal Foundation, said: “By giving a platform to those with lived experience, we hope to start to shift the narrative and demonstrate that homelessness is not an inevitable part of society.”