Renowned artist Barbara Kruger has been earning major headlines lately, including raves for a new retrospective exhibit of her work at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. But what people may not know is that she painted a powerful mural at Housing Is A Human Right’s headquarters in Los Angeles, asking the important question, “Who is housed when money talks?”
Considered one of the top artists of her generation, Kruger is well known for combining bold imagery with thought-provoking statements and questions. A few years ago, she brought that signature style to Housing Is A Human Right’s headquarters, which is located on a busy section of Sunset Boulevard in L.A. near the Cinerama Dome where thousands of motorists pass by each day.
As part of Housing Is A Human Right’s ongoing battle against trickle-down housing policies pushed by luxury-housing developers and wildly inflated rents charged by corporate landlords, Kruger painted a mural that forces people to think about the deep-pocketed forces that fuel the housing affordability and homelessness crises. The consciousness-raising work is an indispensable contribution to the housing justice movement.
We invite people to take pictures or videos of the mural and share them on social media, with the hashtag #BarbaraKrugerHousingMural. And be sure to include our social media handle so we know you’ve posted. For Facebook and Instagram, use @housinghumanright. For Twitter, use @HousingHumanRt.
We also suggest learning more about the politicians, YIMBYs, and Big Real Estate hotshots that push a profit-driven agenda that’s fueling gentrification, skyrocketing rents, and worsening homelessness in California and throughout the country. One way to do that is by reading our excellent book, Selling Off California: The Untold Story. It’s a fast-paced, insightful read that’s written by our award-winning advocacy journalist Patrick Range McDonald – download a PDF-version of the book for free.
We look forward to hearing from you!