LUXE Gallery, NYC 2004
When money is given to a homeless person, or a sign is purchased from them, it is an act of faith
There is no assurance where the money might go to their children for drugs?
This installation asks a similar question about the relationships within the art world
Is the artist's work valid?
Is the gallerist displaying work of sincerity and value?
The homeless signs had to be purchased with the reverse drawings and interventions unseen until the show was uninstalled.
Acts of Faith
We all perform them
The act may be as simple as driving through a green light, and assuming that other drivers will respect their red light and remain at a stop
Sometimes the act is more complicated and is based on a shared or personal belief system:
One will go to heaven if one leads a righteous and prayerful life
Shaking salt over one's shoulder after spilling it will avoid bad luck
And sometimes the act of faith is based on a hope that a charitable deed will be the origination of improving someone else's lot in life
Like the act of charitable giving on a street corner, perhaps to someone who appears to be homeless
This installation is based on the presumptions and the accompanying risks that we assume by this form of anonymous giving, money to strangers in an unstructured setting
In one of the installed pieces, the wall collage, the individual components are primarily homeless signs that I and others have purchased on the streets
Each sign will be offered for the same sale price
A portion of each sale will be given to a specific organization which supports charitable giving to the homeless
On the back of each of the signs will be a drawing or painting
These works of art cannot be seen until after the installation has ended and the collage is removed from the wall
Another act of faith
At a second level, with faith based on the integrity of the artist and the gallery
This time with the anticipation that the art will have validity, in the same way that the proceeds to the charitable organization will have a valid destination
