A private view featuring a performance by Turner Prize nominee Spartacus Chetwynd attracted an audience as diverse as the works on display when The Art of Survival opened at the SW1 Gallery in Victoria. 
Blood red hands reach out from a sea of unseeing faces; blank eyeless masks that, to artist Michael Crossan, have a special meaning. His disturbing three-dimensional installation dominates one wall of a unique exhibition in the heart of Victoria. From a distance its rugged landscape resembles the Union Jack, but as you get closer the ‘landmarks’ become faces with empty eye sockets.
The Art of Survival is a showcase for the work of former servicemen who all, at some time in their life, were in crisis. Some have been homeless; some have had drug and alcohol problems, suffered from PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) or mental health issues. But they have one thing in common; they are all ex-servicemen and they have all been helped by the charity Veterans Aid.

Many years ago Crossan served in the Royal Highland Fusiliers, an experience that he recalls fondly. After leaving he travelled, spending five years in Greece, painting murals in theme clubs. Gradually he developed a relationship with alcohol that nearly killed him. He was in detox when he rediscovered his love of art and hooked up with Phil Rogers, the man who was later to become VA’s addictions’ counsellor. When Crossan ‘came in’ from the streets it was to the charity’s East London hostel, which became home until he got on his feet again. Like many of the veterans at New Belvedere House he was helped to beat his demons through a re-connection with something creative. 

Art, in its various forms, is encouraged by the charity whose philosophy is to explore bespoke solutions to individuals’ needs. Some veterans paint, some sketch, write poetry, draw cartoons, build models, take photographs or make furniture. The Art of Survival was conceived as a testament to their personal journeys.

Some of the work – like Travis Freeman’s restored Lambretta scooters - is overtly about resurrection. Other pieces, like Crossan's Brothers in Arms, deliver a different message. 

“I was trying to convey in the piece what it’s like to be homeless in the middle of a crowd.  When you are on the streets you are invisible.  To ‘Joe Bloggs’ you are not there. The general public get uncomfortable when they see something that’s not pleasing to the eye. They see homeless people as a threat. People think its called Brothers in Arms because of the military connection, but it’s bigger than that. It’s about humanity. And that’s what Veterans Aid is all about. It exists to help ex-servicemen  - but what it does comes from the heart.”

Some of the work on display is traditional. Photographs, oils and pastels – some donated by well know supporters such as Jane Frere and Tom Stoddart  - augment the veterans’ works. Other pieces reveal an affinity for working with wood and iron. Behind each there is a story. 

The 80-year-old charity operates from a series of crowded rooms above a hairdressing salon in Buckingham Palace Road, not far from the offices of VBID (Victoria Business Improvement District). It straddles the two worlds that collide in this lively area – just yards from Victoria Coach Station where so many of the UK’s helpless and homeless are delivered to London. It is equidistant from the smart SW1 gallery where curator Owen Ward hosts the work of aspiring and established artists and creatives. 

When VBID discovered what its ‘neighbour’ did it became a supporter, and through its relationship with Land Securities who own the SW1 Gallery, an offer was made – to donate a week’s gallery time to VA’s ‘artists’. 

At a private view, attended by guests as eclectic and interesting as the artists, half the artworks on display were sold. Some of the contributors were too stunned to speak. The titled and the formerly ‘unentitled’ mingled to form a human tapestry as rich as the surrounding artworks. 

Crossan said “Last night, when I came up the escalator to the gallery I saw it all through the window – the work of all those guys – it was unreal. We’ve all been through emotional and physical hell and survived. It was suddenly real. It was there - our artwork, Travis’s scooters, in this amazing gallery. I thought, ‘it just shows what can be achieved when someone gives you a helping hand’. It was one of the best nights of my life.” 

SW1 Gallery, 4-8 December 2012. 12 Cardinal Walk, London SW1E 5JE  www.sw1gallery.co.uk  020 7963 4024