“Homeless Voices,” famed photographer Kirti Bassendine’s photographic storytelling exhibit, shares stories
and struggles of the homeless, humanizing the plight endured by countless individuals throughout the world.
T
he exhibit, which premiered in
January at the Gilroy Center for
The Arts, is presented in three
parts. The still photography, “Neutral
Spaces,” features storyboards, mini-
biographies accompanied by photos,
and video interviews in which subjects
answer the question: What does home
mean to you?
“Gilroy was really a wonderful launch
for me. The homeless community were
present…and they were really moved by
it, the reception they got, there were so
many of them that came,” Bassendine
said. “It gave the public a chance to
actually talk to them.”
Many of her subjects shared with
Bassendine how the opportunity to tell
their stories provided them a new-
found respect.
“Meeting the homeless community in
Gilroy, listening to them and the various
different circumstances that brought
them to homelessness, really resonated
with me,” Bassendine said.
The artist’s interest was first drawn to
the plight of the homeless in 2014 with
the “Occupy” movement taking place in
Atlanta, where she and her family lived
at the time.
“I slowly started talking to the people
coming there,” Bassendine said.
“It’s amazing the community that I’ve
been surrounded by…so I started the
project there.”
Then in 2016 she suffered a
devastating car accident, which
changed everything.
“I broke my hand and my hip,
I couldn’t move for four months, I
couldn’t get out of bed,” Bassendine
said. During her 10-month recovery,
her husband also suffered a series of
medical issues.
“With all that going on you realize
how vulnerable somebody can be,” she
said. “As a photographer I couldn’t use
my hand for two years. I’d experienced
how quickly things can change.”
Once she recovered, Bassendine
returned to the homeless project with
renewed passion, starting with a visit
to the Gilroy Compassion Center
last October.
“One day, one moment, any one of
us is one tragedy away from being
homeless,” Bassendine said. “I feel like
it’s very close to home for me because
I’ve experienced that fear.”
Her sincerity resonated with her
subjects and resulted in honest and
often times heartbreaking testimonials.
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A responsibility she took very seriously.
“I feel very blessed that they’ve given
me their trust to do it right for them,”
Bassendine said, adding, “I think they
just wanted to be heard.”
In April, Bassendine, who splits
her time between Santa Clara and San
Benito, was invited by the California For
The Arts Advocacy to present her exhibit
in Sacramento. The city’s mayor, Darrell
Steinberg, told Bassendine that her
exhibit, “put a name to the faces making
them human again.”
It was the reaction she’d strived
to achieve.
“I hope to raise awareness and help
bring in more resources to improve the
safety net available to our homeless
friends and help them get back on
their feet,” Bassendine said.
After the launch Bassendine traveled
to numerous cities all across California,
adding additional photographs, inter-
views, and stories to her exhibit; which
now includes 20 subjects. She’s far
from finished.
“This project isn’t over, it’s just
beginning for me, but I’m working and
focusing on getting funding,” she said,
adding that up until now she’s funded
the project herself.
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