We Paint Houses in Philly

During most of June of 2014 I  developed the project WE PAINT HOUSES as part of my solo show at Practice Gallery in Philadelphia.

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In this case, I used the gallery space as the office / showroom for this unusual business, in addition to the performances that take place in public spaces throughout the city. For over a week, Philadelphia encountered the crew of Day Laborers at-work throughout the city.

More about the project:

We Paint Houses is a participatory project that takes the form of a temporary business established by artist Felipe Castelblanco and Latino day laborers living in the U.S. Currently, The group offers to paint people’s houses within the city of Philadelphia, PA using local media and street advertisement. However, instead of painting the walls of the houses, artist and laborers create fine art paintings — on canvas — of the façades of the buildings, while engaging customers/audiences in a situation that re-imagines the act of exchange, service and labor. A temporary art studio (with easels, canvases and palettes) emerges on the streets as the group creates the paintings. This performance explores mistranslation, misrepresentation and labor, while seeking to produce contentious encounters between locals and immigrants, workers and artists.

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