Artist Housing Crisis Workshop at SoiL Thornton's Swiss Institute Show

On July 14, 2026, the Swiss Institute in New York hosted a public discussion led by artist SoiL Thornton, coinciding with their exhibition titled "Metabolizing eviction try, work_mp3 and other games of topping." This event was part of Fiona Alison Duncan's Hard to Read series and was inspired by her essay "The Nine Circles of Artist Housing Hell." Experts such as Ariana Faye Allensworth, Bench Ansfield, Matt Hilvers, Marc Norman, and Betty Yu participated. Thornton's video "realization suppression / Rihanna_work.mp3" (2026) played silently in the background. The workshop addressed the concept of side hustles and highlighted the necessity for cultural institutions in tandem with affordable housing, touching on topics like Mayor Mamdani's "Block to Block" housing initiative and issues like landlord arson and expiring affordable housing agreements.