Rich People

'Jordan McKenzie's art continues to create vital and critical investigations into the contemporary landscape of gender, class, politics and culture. Urgent and provocative, McKenzie is a powerful voice making work that remains current and relevant for the calamitous times that we live in.' LOIS KEIDAN, LIVE ART DEVELOPMENT AGENCY

‘Look at those who hold power. It’s time to call them to account.’ Jordan McKenzie

Rich People is a series of public artworks and interventions made by London based artist Jordan McKenzie, that address issues surrounding inequality, privilege and class.

While ‘the poor’ have been vilified by the press and politicians and blamed for being feckless, lazy and unambitious, we continue to admire as a society those who have privilege and wealth. Written on discarded mattresses (the archetypal cliche of poverty in the inner city) McKenzie has spray painted statements about rich people all over east London.

Sometimes political, angry, humorous and satirical these statements turn the propaganda and dangerous lies written about the underclass back onto the rich. In our neo-liberalist climate of late capitalism it seems wealth and money are privileged over all ethical, societal and environmental considerations. Rich People calls to account and turns the lens of scrutiny onto those who perpetuate inequality and poverty in our society.

This event is part of the In Between Time Summit Day 3 programme. The event is included in the 1-Day Ticket or 3-Day Summit Pass and cannot be booked separately.

Jordan McKenzie is a performance maker/visual artist and academic based in London. Research interests include identity, presentations of class in contemporary Britain and the intersections of social housing, arts practices and socially situated art.

His work has been exhibited widely including Freud Museum (2018); Yorkshire Sculpture Park (2014); KASA Gallery, Istanbul (2014); Arnolfini Gallery (2011); Courtauld Institute (2011). His curatorial projects include LUPA (Lock Up Performance Art) a performance space run from a disused garage on the council estate where he lives in East London, co-curated with Aaron Williamson and Kate Mahony (2011-13); Look At The (E)state We’re In, a major international conference about art and the council estate (2014); Live(E)lseWhere (co-curated with The Drawing Shed 2014).

He has received bursaries and awards from Arts Council England, Arts Admin and The Live Art Development Agency and been an artist in residence including I-Park Massachusetts, USA (2012), OVADA Gallery, Oxford (2005) and Sutra Arts, Nepal (2004). He is a lecturer in Fine Art at The University for the Arts (UAL).

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