Our Agents
Valerie Mendoza

Our Agents, is a photo-based installation comprised of 48 portraits of what appear at first glance to be ordinary people, but which are composites of at least 6 images of actual real estate agents. Rather than simply criticizing the real estate profession alone, Our Agents is intended to serve as a metaphor for a flawed system that drives affordable housing beyond the reach of most working class Americans.

Our Agents uses subtle humor to engage with critical discourse around the issue of affordable housing, which should be considered a basic human right, but all too often becomes a game of speculation for those who can afford to play.

ABOUT THE ARTIST
Valerie Mendoza

Valerie Mendoza is a lens-based installation artist, writer and educator. Her work mines the intersections between history, memory, media, cultural institutions, and language, using photographs, video, audio, objects, various forms of information, and personal narrative to create cross-disciplinary dialogue between disparate sources. Her recent work, "Monument: 91 Images of One Vacant Property for Sale," "Our Agents," À Venda" ("For Sale") and "Café Espelho" ("Cafe Mirror") falls within the realm of social practice and addresses the related issues of gentrification, the speculative real estate market, and the housing crisis. A solo exhibition of her work, "O Custo de Vida" ("The Cost of Living") was featured at Galeria do Sol, Porto, Portugal, Nov. 2018. Mendoza's work has been exhibited in France, Ireland, Mexico, Portugal, and venues throughout the United States. Her practice is based in the San Francisco Bay Area where she is an Associate Professor at San José State University.

“Our Agents” is currently on view as a part of the de Young Open, de Young Museum, San Francisco, CA from 10/10/20 - 1/3/21