“Growing up in severe poverty, I wasn’t able to afford fresh produce or nutritional foods. My family found ourselves committed to brands we’d find in a local Dollar Tree or Cermak.

My mother worked at Jewel Osco where her employee discount barely kept us afloat. As I find ways of survival in what is now considered late-stage capitalism, I still find myself bound to certain brands and products that once barely kept me from starving, as well as a solidarity amongst a class of people I can never be separated from.

In my series titled In Poor Taste, I explore topics such as mental health, addiction, and distress through satirical redesign of popular and nostalgic brands and products you can find at your local grocer or corner store.”

-Moe C. Hibbard

Moe holds a BA in Graphic Design from Columbia College Chicago.

How would you describe your installation and what do you want them to take away from your installation? 

I would say it's like an uncanny valley if it was a supermarket. Seeing it be brought to life makes me reminiscent of low-cost markets in the neighborhoods I frequented or grew up in.

I'm sure to a lot of my audience it might just seem satirical and funny and maybe even trendy, but personally I feel nostalgic.

Something I hope visitors can take away is a sense of familiarity and solidarity, especially those who experienced poverty in their lives. We become desensitized to our issues when surrounded by people who face the same problems, not realizing that the side effects of poverty are not just common accidents.

My exhibit is not to bring awareness to those who have never experienced being below middle class, nor to explain anything to them. I really just want others to know that we didn't starve alone.