Los Angeles Poverty Department's Documentary-Performance at Queens Museum Confronts Homelessness and Incarceration
In March 2014, the Los Angeles Poverty Department (LAPD), established by John Malpede during the mid-1980s, showcased its work at the Queens Museum, featuring two significant performances. The ongoing piece 'State of Incarceration' (2010-present) revealed that one-third of the homeless individuals in Skid Row have experienced incarceration within California's prison system. Additionally, 'Agentes & Activos' marked the Spanish-language debut of 'Agents & Assets' (2001-present), created in collaboration with Drogadictos Anonimos, which utilized a script from a 1998 U.S. House hearing regarding CIA drug trafficking, implicating figures such as Senator John Kerry. The exhibition also included archival materials and a discussion following the performances with cast members and HIV activists, while LAPD addressed gentrification in artistic communities, contrasting with the landscape of New York under Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
Key facts
- The Los Angeles Poverty Department (LAPD) is a performance group founded in the mid-1980s by John Malpede.
- LAPD's membership consists primarily of homeless and formerly homeless residents of Skid Row in downtown Los Angeles.
- In March 2014, LAPD presented work at the Queens Museum in New York.
- The exhibition included 'State of Incarceration' (2010-ongoing), an installation with prison bunk beds referencing incarceration rates among Skid Row's homeless.
- It also featured 'Agentes & Activos,' the Spanish premiere of 'Agents & Assets' (2001-ongoing), created with the group Drogadictos Anonimos from Corona, Queens.
- The script for 'Agents & Assets' was drawn from a 1998 U.S. House hearing on CIA involvement in drug trafficking in California.
- The performance referenced the Iran-Contra affair, inner-city crack cocaine targeting, and Senator John Kerry's role in a related inquiry.
- LAPD critiques art-world gentrification, contrasting with New York's artistic climate under former Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
Entities
Artists
- John Malpede
Institutions
- Los Angeles Poverty Department (LAPD)
- Queens Museum
- Drogadictos Anonimos
- U.S. House of Representatives
- CIA
Locations
- Los Angeles
- United States
- Skid Row
- New York
- Queens
- Corona
- California
- Eastern Europe
- Soho
- Brooklyn
- Lower East Side