Katherrin Billordo
The Purge
Pen on paper
16.5 x 12 in.
From the Artist
Formally an abandoned rail line, now a popular walking trail, the 606 is a greenway project that runs through Chicago’s most notable northwest side neighborhoods. But, in actuality, it and other urban “beautification projects”’ are much more problematic than they seem. When the city invests in new amenities rather than work on fixing critical issues of poverty and crime, property values rise, and residents and business owners are displaced in exchange for wealthier counterparts (also known as gentrification). This piece captures an instance of this frustrating reality that I encountered when walking to my friend’s house in Humboldt Park this past summer. Happy, predominantly white children and families ran along the trail as excessive trash, graffitied murals, overgrown weeds, crime, cracked support pillars, and homelessness raged below. The title references both the removal of residents and the movie of the same name, drawing connections in similar levels of chaos.