I spent several hours walking around the abandoned state hospital commons before I found this scene, where two broken windows lined up from across a semicircular room. The painting began as text written out on the canvas, reflecting on my thoughts on the institution and the people who lived here. Our cultural memory of these institutions are burdened by their history of sexism, homophobia, and ableism, serving to preserve the status quo by locking away people who don’t appeal to the American caste system. That being said, this hospital served as a crucial refuge for the people who truly needed help, a social safety net the likes of which we will not see again without concerted political change. When these institutions were closed in the 80’s, we chose to abandon these people to the violence of a capitalist system that doesn’t recognize them as human. This painting is about the intersection of the people and places we choose to condemn.
