New York – Photographer Wants New Yorkers To Stop Ignoring The Homeless

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    A woman cranes her neck as she passes by some of photographer Andres Serrano's portraits of homeless New Yorkers currently on display at the West 4th Street subway station in New York, Wednesday, May 21, 2014. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)New York – Best known for his provocative images, photographer Andres Serrano has turned his attention to putting a very public face on New York City’s skyrocketing homeless population.

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    His stark portraits of individuals who live on the street appear in some of the very locations that his subjects often populate — a subway station, a park, a church. They’re also inside 50 phone booths and bus stop shelters around Manhattan.

    “I wanted to pay homage to them and put them somewhere visible where people could actually see the faces of the people you encounter on the street that you normally don’t look at,” Serrano explained.

    “Residents of New York” is his first public art project. It runs through June 15.

    It’s a departure from Serrano’s most well-known work, which have involved photos of corpses and the use of bodily fluids. An image of his unveiled in 1989 featuring a crucifix dunked in his own urine thrust him into the middle of the culture wars, drawing outrage from Christian conservatives and lawmakers.

    With the homelessness exhibit, Serrano returns to a subject he addressed some 20 years earlier in a series of studio-style photographs of homeless people titled “Nomads.”

    This time, “I wanted to record and document them the way I found them on the street,” said Serrano, who shot with film for six weeks in January and February.
    New Yorker Vince Verdi walks past a display of photographs of homeless people displayed below ground at the West 4th Street subway station in New York, Wednesday, May 21, 2014.  Serrano's images of the city’s marginalized residents also are plastered inside 50 phone booths and bus stop shelters around Manhattan.  “Resident of New York” is Serrano’s first public art project, and it runs through June 15. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)
    The native New Yorker said he had never seen more homeless people on the city’s streets.

    The number of people without permanent homes has skyrocketed in recent years and as of last week more than 53,000 people slept in city shelters, according to city officials, who this week unveiled a multimillion-dollar program to address the problem.

    The most dramatic display in “Residents of New York” is at the West Fourth Street subway station in Greenwich Village, where all 35 poster-sized photographs line two corridors and the entrance. Among the many faces is that of a 27-year-old man who posed with his wife and died of liver complications two weeks after the photo was taken.

    Serrano said he got no resistance about taking the pictures, saying the homeless “were happy to be asked to be a part of something. Normally, they’re ignored.”

    Subway rider Andri Prozio called the installation “very powerful.”
    Amanda Lachman of New York looks at portraits of the homeless by photographer Andres Serrano displayed on the walls of the West 4th Street subway station in New York, Wednesday, May 21, 2014.  Lachman said, "They really caught my eye. They're really powerful images that show people what life can really be like, and that these people need help." (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)
    “It kind of gives you a feeling that you should have a conscience, that you should be able to do something to help homeless people,” she said.

    Six of the images are repeated in different locations, including the Judson Memorial Church near Washington Square Park and three double-sided glass cases in a small park in LaGuardia Place.

    The subjects are not identified in the photos but all their names appear in a panel at the subway station.

    The installation is sponsored by More Art, a nonprofit group dedicated to the development of socially engaged public art projects.

    “The idea was to create something between an art exhibition and an awareness campaign,” said its executive director, Micaela Martegani. “We hope it will spur debate about homelessness in New York.”

    Jeremy Connolly, born and raised in New York but now a resident of York, England, pauses to view photographer Andres Seerrano's portraits of the homeless displayed at the West 4th Street subway station in New York, Wednesday, May 21, 2014. Connnolly pointed out, "It's frightful. We spend literally billions on elections, but we don't spend money on people."  (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)


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    9 years ago

    Seems innocent enough. But the sadness is not that they are homeless but that there is a cause to photograph and display their image for a passerby’s contained emotion. We are coining a culture of “he has more than me” image by doing so. But maybe they should have had a place to donate to the local homeless shelter nearby. Then it would be useful.

    9 years ago

    NYC has the most generous help for the homeless anywhere in the world. They even devote an entire agency The Department Of Homeless Services for them. Many people just panhandle in the street and claim to be homeless, and then go back to their comfortable homes with their daily booty. All of those pictured in this subway exhibition have a warm bed and warm food available to them if they really wanted provided by our generous City.

    9 years ago

    The photos show that we are all tzelem Elokim, the image of God. Many, perhaps most of the homeless have mental health or addiction problems. If we can help, we should.

    9 years ago

    I have an elderly neighbor who has a bum son that doesn’t work. He puts her on the bus at 5am to go sit and beg in front of the Q train for 6 hours. Sometimes these people aren’t homeless but just shnorers and con artists.