The communal apartment depicted by artist Hope Gangloff is a space that unites those weary of everyday life, routine, and domestic burdens, yet who are searching for their place in the world. What connects them is not merely shared walls or the trails of variously sized shoes on the floor, but a similar worldview, dreams, and aspirations. This communal, living organism thrives on the sincerity, purity of perception, and delicate emotional structure of its residents. Hope paints her friends or acquaintances on canvas, and it seems as if all of them reside in some secluded place, a home—a haven for the unhomeless. The artist conveys the emotional coloring and mood of each subject with profound honesty, perhaps because she genuinely knows and understands these people who are bound by time and emotion. Furthermore, the shared living space allows the residents to freely create and express themselves, to recharge in each other’s company, and to feel that they belong and are safe.
