Awareness or Glorification?

Art installation addressing homelessness.

In the realm of art and art criticism there is the concept of awareness that many artists and activists feel is important. Some feel that art is particularly a vehicle for awareness by which to protest or make light of some situation or cause. One current cause is the massive problem of homelessness which is a problem itself, but is also exacerbated by the need by some to make others aware of such societal problems. Despite the fact that we see homeless and helpless people everywhere, some people still feel there is a need to advertise homelessness. But, as a result, does “advertising” of homelessness somehow glorify it and make it socially acceptable and fashionable?

With the current homelessness crises nobody really knows why a lot of people are homeless, or where they came from, what apartment they let go of, etc. The common assumption is that they spent their rent money on partying and liquor, but that assumption can apply to anyone who is financially strapped. But it does seem clear that a selling point of going to the streets is the fact that lots of people are doing it, therefore: it is not so bad. When questioning whether to acknowledge homeless people via photograph, video, painting, etc., the question is: Is it something we hope to preserve? I think most people want homelessness to be cleaned-up, remedied, and made a thing of the past.

It should be important to note that the major cause(s) of homelessness may not be something that some people care to really divulge.  While homelessness is a co-crisis along with COVID-19 and other people wanting to get back to work, it is important to remember that there really is no rush to keeping people housed or getting them housed. Are people anxious to get back to work to really-really help the homeless population, or just to go and look the other way since homelessness is someone else’s problem? Whose problem is unemployment, (which leads to homelessness)?

When it comes to visibility of any cause, it is important to consider whether the noticed or the intended audience actually has the power to fix the problem. What good is making people aware of a problem if they don’t have the power to fix it? Power and concern are not the same thing. As an artist I personally chose not to preserve some things because they are not really beautiful and may lead to people getting the wrong ideas. Relief sculptures in cities tend to smell like urine because of the people who pee in doorways, not because the artist intended them to.