Inequality Matters

The vitality of contemporary art thrives on confronting the global context in which it lives. Yale economist and Nobel Laureate Robert Shiller defined “the most important problem we are facing today”: the ongoing rise of inequality not only in the United States but throughout the world. Amid an increasingly polarized society, the International Arte Laguna Prize is essential in promoting and spotlighting contemporary art as a touchstone for dialogue and a catalyst for change.

The cultural fabric of society is torn wider as the gap between the rich and poor increases. Economists refer this as the “champagne glass” condition. Numbers frame the image:

• Richest 1/5 of the population receives 82.7% of the world’s income

• Second fifth of the population receives 11.7%

• Third fifth receives 2.3%

• Fourth fifth receives 1.9%

• Poorest 1/5 receives 1.4% of the world’s income

Contemporary art must address this reality. As an artist, I am called to use the platform of the Arte Laguna Prize to advocate for access to art as a tool for engagement with the socio-economic issues of our time. My sculpture and installation represents the inequality that is so prevalent today.

The installation measures 4 meters long, 4 meters wide, and 8 meters high. The upward curve is a composition of a supporting metal frame wrapped in fabric. The curve suggests the contour of a champagne glass, the form of the inequality metaphor. Compelling imagery related to the issue is projected on a screen. The entire piece sits on a base depicting the golden ratio as a reminder of the divine proportions that surround us all, throughout nature, architecture, and in our very own bodies.

The installation calls to visitors through visual and tactile stimulation to contemplate a shifting social reality – the growing inequality – in the safety and wonderment that only contemporary art can provide.