The Artwork
Housing, Blue Tarp, Sculpture, 2024
Wooden plinth, blue tarp, wood, and metal armature
Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration
August 5 - September 27, 2024
Housing, Blue Tarp, Sculpture is a three-dimensional iteration of a photograph depicting homelessness and the unhoused community in Los Angeles County. The image is based on a scene the artist Noé Montes encountered on a Los Angeles street, which was then recreated in his studio. This sculpture is one part of a two-part project, with the second part consisting of a series of interviews and information about homelessness in LA County that can be found at https://unhousedlacounty.com/.
Noé Montes (b. 1973, Modesto, California) is an award-winning artist based in Los Angeles who has documented underrepresented communities for over 20 years to effect change through storytelling, education, and advocacy around social, economic, and environmental issues. His work focuses on personal and community development and the social issues shaping a new American narrative. Montes has extensive experience collaborating with educational, cultural, and civic institutions and non-profit organizations. His commissions include work for the Annenberg Foundation, the California Air Resources Board, The Getty Foundation, and L.A. Metro, among others.
Noé Montes was commissioned by the LA County Department of Arts and Culture to create a temporary artwork as a member of the Public Artists in Development (PAiD) program’s Artist Council.