WOŚP

The title of this painting refers to Wielka Orkiestra Świątecznej Pomocy, a charity concert held every winter. The funds raised go to orphanages, hospitals, and — surprise, surprise — to the private pockets of its organizers. The concert’s symbol is a red-and-white heart-shaped sticker. People were tossing these stickers into the hat of a homeless Indian man kneeling on the street, lamenting a desperate, piercing song for alms. I stood across the road, tears in my eyes, watching as the police took him away.