Sheffield artist who has not had electricity for years shows reality of living in poverty

Sheffield artist Stephen Martin has partnered with Church Action on Poverty to depict the economic reality of nine Sheffielders living on the front line of poverty, including himself.

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The Dreams and Realities exhibition is displaying nine portraits which symbolise the “dreams and ambitions” these individuals would pursue if they were not held back by economic struggles.

Suffering from Long Covid, Mr Martin cannot afford to rewire his home so lives without gas and electricity. His survives on Universal Credit and some months his total income is only £340.

He said: “I’ve lived seven to ten years without electricity. The council see me as low priority.”

His self-portrait, which is featured in the exhibition, shows his reality of living with no electricity, represented by the black background. He is holding his scrapbook, which he said symbolises his ‘dreams’. He uses it to capture memorable times in his life.

The Sheffield artist said: “It gives a good boost when you’re feeling low.”

The scrapbook embodies his own experience living in poverty, as he could only afford an A3 sketchbook and £3 paints to pursue his hobby of painting.

Despite his setbacks, he has persevered to create this exhibition which is going on tour across the UK.

The portraits show a diverse range of experiences of poverty in Sheffield, such as a Ukrainian woman’s situation and a man who is homeless. a

The paintings and stories will be on displayin St Mary’s Church on Bramall Lane until April 28, when they will move to Newcastle City Library.

The project is coordinated by Yo Tozer-Loft, who runs community choirs in Sheffield and is supported by the Church Action on Poverty group.

Pete Duberly, a spokesperson for Children Action on Poverty, said: “Art is a great medium to get people engaged and gives a face to poverty. It humanises the issue.

“This exhibition shows that within poverty, these people still have dreams and ambitions.”

They have partnered with Let’s End Poverty, a movement of people aiming to raise awareness of poverty in the UK and build momentum in the run-up to the next UK General Election.

Anyone can be part of the movement, whether you are an individual, a group, a faith community, a business or an organisation.

To find out more information go to: https://letsendpoverty.co.uk/dreams-and-realities/