Krzysztof Wodiczko

Krzysztof Wodiczko





 Krzysztof Wodiczko was born in Warsaw, Poland, in 1943 and studied fine arts in Warsaw. He moved to the United States and was interested in making homeless people visible with his art. Homeless Vehicle Project with David Lurie, 1988-89, Aluminum and mixed media, is pictured at Trump Tower, New York. This work can be both art and a functional object that has socio-political characteristics. He built a homeless cart that allows a person to store belongings, be sheltered and have mobility. It doesn’t look like home.

Wodiczko also developed memorial projection images in public spaces. Projection Soldiers Memorial Arch, Grand Army Plaza, 1985-86, is a public projection at the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Arch, in Brooklyn, New York. He wants to show political and social context by using two missile images, one U.S., one Soviet and a chain that holds the two missiles together to represent the connected future of these two countries. Bringing out art in public space increases the visibility of the issues in contemporary society. Time is also important to represent political significance. Time is from New Year’s Eve to New Year’s Day.

Art should not be only in art museums and galleries. By using public spaces, artists have more opportunities to expose their art and viewers can access art more often.