Hello 2023!
Few images say summer in Australia quite as dreamily as a Ken Done beach scene! The iconic artist makes a splash on this very special cover of our New Year edition, which celebrates the best bits of 2022. Dive in, as our arts editors bring you a Summer Entertainment Guide for those long lazy days – the best books, binge-worthy streaming and best films to watch when it gets too hot outside, and the must-listen music that defined the year that was.
More highlights in this edition:
- Fashion icon Jenny Kee talks swingin’ 60s London, 70s Sydney, and how she defined 80s fashion with her beloved Australiana knits, in an effervescent Letter to My Younger Self.
- Aussie actors Mia Wasikowska and Radha Mitchell dive deep into their silver screen adaptation of Tim Winton’s Blueback.
- Featuring rock gods, jazz greats and unforgettable storytellers, our 2022 mixtape honours the musical legends we lost this year, in all their sparkly, transcendent and irreverent glory.
- Photographer Robin Schwartz meets the swimming pigs who are on permanent vacation in the Bahamas.
- Yuliia Manetska serves up her recipe for Ukrainian borsch, care of our friends at non-profit Free to Feed.
- And we’ll test your memory banks with our annual Big Quiz!
- PLUS: start your year off right with The Big Issue Calendar. Just $20 from your local vendor!
Cover image courtesy of The Ken Done Gallery: kendone.com.au
Beach painting I, 1999
acrylic on canvas, 149.5 x 120cm
Olympics
Issue! Issue! Issue! Oi! Oi! Oi! As we cheer on our Olympians and Paralympians in Tokyo, here at The Big Issue we’re also celebrating our very own sporting champions: vendors and Street Soccer players who’ve donned the green and gold on the world stage.
Cycles of Life
In this edition, we speak to people who’ve taken to two wheels, including Tour de France winner Cadel Evans, actor Samuel Johnson, and several Big Issue vendors, to find out why bikes are back in such a big way.
