Homeless artist hosts own exhibition to help himself off the streets

Bedford left the UK in 2009 to start backpacking around Europe, living and working in Malta, Sicily, Italy, Spain, Germany, Holland and France while on his travels.

But Brexit forced him back to the UK when changing work regulations saw job opportunities dry up.

Bedford returned to the UK but was unable to access the benefits system after being out of the country for so long, leaving him with little option but to start sleeping rough in London.

That was when he found solace in art, drawing in Shoe Lane Library in London’s Square Mile and selling then when he was allowed in Pret a Manger with the idea of making a living from selling his sketches.

But he hit a stumbling block as he could not afford a street traders’ licence to sell his artwork on the street legally.

“For £45 a day to lash out for a licence then you wouldn’t be on the street. And there’s no guarantee that you are going to earn £45 a day,” he said.

Bedford has now joined forces with Under One Sky – the homelessness charity that supports him – to advocate for free or lower-priced licensed art spaces for homeless artists.

The charity’s trustee Amrit Maan, who is the managing director of Punjab Covent Garden, has also opened the restaurant’s Shaftesbury wing to Bedford to showcase his work with the goal of earning enough cash to help himself off the streets.

“There is work up there (in Lincolnshire) and plenty of it. But I need to get up there and have a place to go and get the work. You could argue the fact that if you’re homeless you could just go up there but there are more facilities for the homeless down here than there are up there,” said Bedford.

“It’s not totally off my back. The artwork is but I wouldn’t be in the position without Under One Sky. They’re the ones that have given me the chance to do the exhibition.”

He added: “Each brush tells a story of resilience and hope, turning adversity into art, and hopefully, a place to call home.”

Mikkel Juel Iversen, Under One Sky founder, added: “David’s art is his fishing rod but he was denied access to the lake. This exhibition is a lake created for David to empower him to end his status as homeless.”

David Bedford’s artwork will be on show at the Punjab Shaftesbury Wing on 18-19 May. To support, donate to Under One Sky’s campaign for Bedford here.