Construction Paintings-- 2011-2016
Washington Mutual
oil on canvas
36"x288" (3ft x 24ft)
2011
On the corner of Ashland and Division, there once stood a Washington Mutual bank. The bank failed and was closed, but the sign remained. Instead of removing it, the sign was covered in a white vinyl shroud, its unusual dimensions and coloring not unlike Hans Holbein's The Body of the Dead Christ in the Tomb (1520)
The shrouded sign is like a body, but not one that died of natural causes. It is a crime scene, and covering it up only draws more attention to it. This covered sign is a daily reminder to the people of the neighborhood of a crisis so complicated, it defeats attempts at accountability and individual action.