10 Facts About Stik's Standing Figure

The lithograph is available in blue, orange, red and yellow.

Standing Figure was released as part of Stik’s 2015 coffee table book. Perhaps the most important motif in Stik’s portfolio, the lone stickman was a fitting inclusion as a print in the coffee table book.

In the early days of the project, the lone stickman was particularly prominent, present in works like Diva and Beggar: “At first I only painted lonely people.  It was my way of reflecting on my personal struggles. Then as my circumstances improved, I became involved with causes and the figure changed as its context changed.”

The isolation invoked by the period of homelessness which Stik refers to as pivotal in the birth of his signature stickman is potently present in Standing Figure, which depicts a nervous, forlorn figure with a sideways glance.

The anonymity and universality of Standing Figure encapsulate Stik’s notion of the mere outline of the body being rich in meaning and communication: “You can tell a lot about someone just by the way they’re moving their back or their eyes.”

Stik remarks that a key motivation for the creation of his book was a growing awareness of the relationship between his art and the community which had grown over the years - a relationship to which his work with the Hackney Citizen pays testament.

Speaking on his own practice, Stik tries to ‘articulate the persistence of community, but also its frailty,’ and indeed, notions of community are central to his practice. Having been homeless for a period, Stik states it was Hackney and its community that helped him back on his feet, “street art was my way of giving back to the people who helped me.”

Standing Figure can be interpreted as a testament to how Stik’s minimalist style is rich with meaning and highly attuned to its urban setting. The six-line Stik man has taken on a much broader significance than Stik originally envisioned, coming to embody the sense of isolation and vulnerability to which urban marginalisation can give way.

Stik’s working methods are designed to save time, and avoid arrest. Intensive practice and preparation are a reflection of necessity and of the difficulties in working on the street.

There were 75,000 Big Issue prints made and could only be found in editions of the Big Issue magazine released on 11th March 2013. This series also shows a lone figure standing, with a sideways glance.