12 huge artists have come together to support Big Issue. These are stories behind their art

On the first day of Christmas, my true love sent to me an incredible print that helps raise money for Big Issue.

This year, 12 acclaimed artists have come together to support Big Issue with an exclusive collection of limited-edition prints, including Chris Levine, Jake Chapman, Sara Pope, Pure Evil and Bake-Off’s Noel Fielding. This piece (right), one of several by Fielding, is called Bob Dylan ‘Rolling Thunder’.

Deck The Walls has been curated by artist-led fine art publisher, studio and gallery Jealous, with 50% of the profits from each sale supporting Big Issue’s mission to end poverty in the UK.

Read on to learn about the inspirations behind the art.                             

Om 136.1 Hz by Chris Levine

“The image literally resonates with the calming Om frequency 136.1hz,” says light artist Chris Levine.

Levine’s work considers light not just as a core aspect of art, but of human experience more widely and a spiritual, meditative and philosophical edge permeates his work.

“It’s a laser projection generated by that tone,” he adds. We need more Om in our lives.

He has had artwork in London’s Science Museum and has staged light performances and exhibitions internationally in spaces such as Radio City in New York commissioned by MoMA, The Eden Project, The Royal Opera House, MATE museum in Lima, London’s Fine Art Society and the headline installation at MOFO festival for Tasmania’s MONA museum.

Why work with Big Issue? Levine puts it simply: “If my art can be put to compassionate use I’m all for it. Peace out.”

Mates for Life by Alma Singer

Alma Singer is the working name for Kent-based artist Carla Nizzola. Singer’s playfully thought provoking work explores issues around value, art, identity and female sexuality.

“I’ve chosen Mates for Life as it’s one of my favourite images,” she explains.

“Unlike a lot of my work which is rather self-deprecating, Mates for Life has a positive message – and who doesn’t love flamingos?

How did she create it? “Originally a crayon, I released a print version with Jealous earlier this year and decided to hand-finish some additional works in crayon for this campaign, so each piece is unique.

“It also doesn’t include any swearing, unlike most of my work, so I thought it was more Christmas appropriate.”

This Will Pass by Dave Buonaguidi, aka Real Hackney Dave

“The world is crazy right now,” says Dave Buonaguidi, better known as Real Hackney Dave. “So much instability and chaos and I think everyone on earth is asking for a bit of normality.”

For a long time, Buonaguidi’s normality looked like the inside of an advertising office. Before coming to screen printing pretty late in life, he spent over 35 years working in advertising, co-founding several acclaimed creative agencies.

He uses the techniques of mass communication and propaganda to create evocative pieces that connect in an emotive and humorous way.

“I really like to create work that means something to the person looking at it.”

Memoirs of My Nervous Illness by Jake Chapman

Jake Chapman is a contemporary artist who makes iconoclastic sculpture, prints, films, writing and installations. His work examines, with searing wit and energy, contemporary politics, religion, and morality – often presented as apocalyptic snapshots of the human condition.

He emulates aspects of human behaviour with a trademark subversive wit, exploring the conflation of the exotic fetish and the cheap fast-food giveaway, imperialism and globalisation and erotomanic sculpture.

He has exhibited at Serpentine Gallery, Tate Britain and Tate Liverpool (amongst many many others!), but lost the Turner Prize to Grayson Perry, Tate Britain in 2003.

I Love It! by Jess Wilson

Jess Wilson graduated in 2006 and has been living and working in London ever since. Using crayons, paints, inks and paper to create her unique illustrations and typographic works, she draws inspiration from humorous occurrences which happen around her in real life and in the media.

Wilson has worked with top clients producing big jobs for magazines, clothing ranges, prints, books and packaging. As well as working with clients Jess tries to get involved in as many exhibitions as possible and carrying out self initiated projects.

Jess Wilson has exhibited at the V&A and all over London as well as in Estonia and Japan and featured in the Jealous x Saatchi Gallery show, ‘On Repeat’ in 2025.

Special Angel by Corbin Shaw

Based in Bethnal Green, Corbin Shaw is a Sheffield-born artist, and Central Saint Martins graduate, exploring themes of personal and national identity, modern day folklore and masculinity through his multimedia practice.

Shaw has exhibited at the Design Museum, Barbican Centre, Incubator, Spazio Maiocchi and OOF Gallery, alongside artists such as Jeremy Deller, Douglas Gordon and Lydia Blakeley.

Collaborations include Women’s Aid, BBC Sport , Fred Perry & The Pet Shop Boys. His work has been featured on covers for EXIT, Perfect Magazine and Circle Zero Eight as well as features in The Guardian, The Face, Dazed, Metal Magazine and the Talk Art Podcast.

Rewilding by Joe Webb

Joe Webb uses vintage magazines and printed ephemera that he has collected to create simple but elegant hand-made collages. After many years of working on computers as a graphic artist, Joe turned his back on technology and started making ‘analogue’ collages. 

Since then Joe has published many popular silkscreen prints, sold his work in the Saatchi Gallery and sold work to celebrities and had his work featured on album covers. Webb’s work is also an internet sensation with hundreds of thousands of people sharing his images online.

Magna Res by Magnus Gjoen

Born in London to Norwegian parents, Magnus Gjoen grew up in Switzerland, Denmark and Italy, as well as in the UK. Describing himself as an ‘accidental’ artist, Gjoen studied fine art and fashion design which led to a successful career in fashion, working for brands such as Vivienne Westwood.

“For this project, I wanted to create a piece that feels almost sacred, yet slightly unsettling – a reminder that art can comfort and confront in equal measure,” Gjoen explains.

“The title in Latin translates as ‘Great Matter’ and by extension ‘Big Issue’. The work depicts a skull intricately embedded with the baroque drama of Fall of the Rebel Angels (Naples, early 18th century, carved ivory), a reminder of both mortality and the eternal struggle between light and darkness.”

Diana by Pure Evil

Pure Evil is the moniker of British artist Charles Uzzell-Edwards, a prominent figure in the street art scene. His work often features darkly iconic images with a pop-art twist, notably his “Nightmare Series,” where famous figures are depicted with a distinctive teardrop running from one eye.

“I chose the image of Diana because of the work she did for charity,” Pure Evil clarifies. “Her dedication extended to helping the homeless and the elderly.

“She frequently visited shelters, spoke with residents and raised awareness about homelessness as a pressing social issue. Even after her death in 1997, Princess Diana’s humanitarian legacy continues. Her work not only transformed public attitudes towards charity but also helped modernise the royal family’s role in promoting empathy and social justice.”

Decadence Goes Pop by Sara Pope

Sara Pope is one of the UK’s most prominent contemporary artists, celebrated for her ultra glossy, colourful, pop paintings of lips.

Pope tells Big Issue: “My lips artworks generally explore the mouth as a means of communication, as well as beauty and the influence of pop culture, particularly within todays visual, digital landscape.

“When naming my works, I like to play with the language of popular culture, using the kind of words you see in lipstick shades or beauty product names, as a reflection on consumer culture. The Decadence Goes Pop series continues along that theme, drawing on a Warholian approach of repeating an image in different colourways.”

Weight of Choice by Eelus

Eelus (Lee Pennington) is a self-taught artist from northern England. He became a notable figure in the emerging UK street art scene in the early 2000s when his playful pop art style stencils first appeared on the streets of East London.

Eelus describes Weight of Choice as “a young girl standing at the edge of possibility, framed by vivid concentric circles.

“She grips her makeshift staff, lost in thought – poised for adventure, yet caught in the quiet pause before she takes her first step. The circles echo the countless paths open to her, each colour a different direction she could take.

“The piece is inspired by watching my young daughter grow, play and learn to navigate her world.”

Click on a print to buy, or browse them all at Jealous Gallery Deck The Walls

Do you have a story to tell or opinions to share about this? Get in touch and tell us more. 

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