Basic Needs is a series of soft sculptures created by Toronto artist Sofy Mesa. Using the cyanotype photogram process in which light-sensitive chemicals and natural UV light are used to take an imprint of an object, each object depicted in the series is one that Ontario Works considers a ‘basic need’ when determining the amount of an individual’s monthly welfare payment. The resulting sculptures are representations of what it means to have basic needs and to be comfortable on a fixed income—an income that rarely, if ever, allows its recipient to survive in the city.