Sandy Callander

Building a Pharmacy in Island Trees, New York

A jagged stud wall corner, painted in Rexall teal. A barricade of partially framed housing; where are we all to live in a ceaselessly gentrified world?

“This work was an attempt to combine a few things. Gentrification is an ongoing issue particularly in large urban centres like Toronto, and this has led to displacement of marginalised and low-income people, corporatisation of diverse neighbourhoods of independent businesses, and the homogenisation of culture in gentrified areas. one of the particular urban markers is Rexall pharmacies. This also reminded me quite vividly of the construction of Levittown, New York - the first suburb - with its perfect gridded lots, identical houses, and lack of vitality. This work is a combination of these things, a thought about housing in North America and how although affordable housing has advanced tremendously, urban centres are still based on an exclusionary model of access. ”