Homeless 1991

Benny Andrews made "Homeless" using paint and collage. It's a powerful combination of traditional media with found materials. Look closely, and you’ll see Andrews uses a variety of papers and fabrics to construct the figure. This adds a tactile dimension, emphasizing the layers of experience that accumulate in a life. The textures of the materials contribute to the overall impression of resilience, resourcefulness and the heavy burden the figure carries. Andrews engages with a tradition of assemblage, transforming ordinary materials into art. Yet, his techniques also point to wider issues of labor and class. Notice how much work it took to select, cut, and assemble all those materials. Andrews asks us to consider not only the subject of homelessness but also the labor and material conditions that shape our world. By bringing together these different elements, Andrews challenges the distinctions between fine art and craft, offering a potent commentary on society, and the value we place on materials, and on people.