Straight white men, give up your power, charity poster urges

AN ARTS charity partially funded by the taxpayer has been criticised for telling “straight white men” to “pass the power” with a “racist” poster.

Arts producers Artichoke, which receives a yearly lump sum from Arts Council England, commissioned a graphic print saying: “Hey straight white men pass the power!”

The graphic was criticised by Neil O’brien, a Conservative MP, who backed Kemi Badenoch in the Tory leadership race, and said that “as someone who recently supported a talented black woman to become prime minister”, he was offended by the “racist” and “divisive” poster.

The artwork is by Nadina Ali, from Marseille, an artist who creates “bold and colourful typography that challenges the status quo”.

Helen Marriage, the chief executive and artistic director of Artichoke, said: “We’re not asking that the public should necessarily agree with the statements in any of the artworks, just that they should think and debate the ideas.

“We’re incredibly proud to be funded by Arts Council England who also understand that great art should be accessible to all, and ignite people in new, thought-provoking ways.”