The Housemate
Kevin O’Meara
January 8 – February 6, 2022
Opening Reception Sat Jan 8 / 12-5pm
Purchase The Housemate
Kevin O’Meara
January 8 – February 6, 2022
Opening Reception Sat Jan 8 / 12-5pm
Purchase The Housemate
The Housemate critically examines the relationship between capitalism and care in the wake of
the industrial expansion of treatment for alcoholism and addiction. Current models of sober
housing, while abstractly beneficial, subvert the wellbeing of the individual by shifting the focus
from community support to finance and power. The primary purpose is no longer to provide
safe transitional housing but to operate a successful business. An extractive and carceral
relationship creates adverse conditions for mutual-aid communities because of the limited
social power of residents enrolled in such programs. Since leaving Dickey House in Green Bay,
Wisconsin, in 2008, O’Meara has been collecting photographs, community bulletin-boards, and
other ephemeral objects from peers with similar experiences. This show and the subsequent
book, by the same name, poses an important question; “Can community, spirituality and
capitalism coexist?”
Kevin O’Meara (b. 1987) is an artist based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He received his MFA from the University of Minnesota in 2020. His work has been featured internationally, in addition to publications including Second Best and “You might be right.”
Kevin O’Meara (b. 1987) is an artist based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He received his MFA from the University of Minnesota in 2020. His work has been featured internationally, in addition to publications including Second Best and “You might be right.”