Neu! Reekie! unveil Big Issue Christmas Art Heist

Edinburgh multi-arts curators Neu! Reekie! have joined forces with some of Scotland's top artists to give away unique artworks hidden inside copies of The Big Issue

Feature by News Team | 23 Nov 2015

Rachel MacLeanMarvin Gaye Chetwynd and Frightened Rabbit frontman Scott Hutchison are among the ten artists contributing unique pieces of work to the Christmas Art Heist project. 

Liz Lochhead, Kevin Harman, Hanna Tuulikki, Alex Allan, Ross Sinclair, Sarah Muirhead and Jim Lambie complete the artist list for the project, which has been co-curated by Neu! Reekie! and Edinburgh Art Festival. Lambie's contribution to the project is a special run of 150 signed and numbered posters.

The Christmas Art Heist artworks will be hidden in copies of The Big Issue sold in Edinburgh and Glasgow ahead of Neu! Reekie!'s #XmasKracker show at Edinburgh's Central Hall on 17 December.

Describing the ‘Golden Ticket-style’ giveaway, Neu! Reekie!'s Michael Pedersen says:  "Having artists' work on or in the magazine is using the format of The Big Issue as the canvas and having them sold on the street by vendors, rather than off the gallery wall, brings art transactions into a more familiar and public realm. 

"With each artist’s work being one of one, this represents the opportunity for some of The Big Issue buying public to own a piece of art that they might never otherwise stumble upon."

Frightened Rabbit's Scott Hutchison says: "It's a privilege to be involved in this project and use my waning artistic skills for something so worthwhile. I'm looking forward to finding the perfect page and making a right mess."

Neu! Reekie!'s #XmasKracker, featuring Irvine Welsh, WHITE, Hector Bizerk and Liz Lochhead, is at Central Hall, Edinburgh on 17 December – win VIP tickets in our competition.

http://bigissue.com