Stik uses the tradition of neighbourhood murals and street graffiti to make a political statement about affordable and social housing. His androgynous, watchful figures have a vulnerability about them, at the mercy of larger forces: where is the security and safety of my own home? And they’re self portraits too - Stik was homeless for several years before he became famous ‘I felt invisible and it was my way of showing I’m here’.
I love that he has chosen completely round faces for his figures with just large dots for eyes and no other features (I know, they’re fastest to draw, but still...). This shape belongs to the emotional water-element people and it’s the most yin of all the facial types. Stik faces tell us about inner, instinctual feelings without the usual facial clues or features to distract us with details of personality, or health. Water-element faces are rare and belong to warm-hearted, compassionate communicators and nurturers who excel at relating sensitively to others – perfect for a social campaigner for human rights.
Unlike homogenized emoji-faces, the large, wide-apart eyes and subtle body language of his long-limbed street people speak volumes about belonging in the busy, active, competitive, yang, city. The round yin-faced person is by nature receptive, connected to the feminine, the (Big) Mother, the circle of life, community, tribe and relationships. His figures may be celebrities now, but they’re not celebrity faces. They’re a still-water mirror reflection for all of us. Stik says that his work 'is a way of speaking to the world'. And, for me, it connects us to our humanity and compassion for all homeless people seeking security and asylum. We're all stik-figures from planet earth. And all people need homes.
With a special thank you for contributions from Louise Lowrie.