That was my last apartment before becoming a homeowner, about thirty years ago. I traded one set of problems for another, but with my own house they were MY problems and I could do something about them ...or not.
The small kitchen was pretty far down on the list, after the lack of a fire exit, the sagging roof, the neighbors who stole my laundry, and only one thermostat for six apartments. But it was affordable.
"carefully crafted" I once had a kitchen where you had to stand to the side to open the oven door, which wouldn't open fully even then because the door hit the refrigerator at the halfway point. You couldn't go from the living room to the bathroom if either the oven or the refrigerator door were open. Strangely, that was the least objectionable thing about that apartment.
I have two thoughts. First, the publicity of this incident is worth more than the painting (and the painting's worth is a number plucked from thin air, since there is no buyer). Second, the paint cans should not have held fresh, usable paint in an exhibit of an artwork that is five years old. If you put those two things together, you may start to suspect that this was a setup.
I once had a kitchen where you had to stand to the side to open the oven door, which wouldn't open fully even then because the door hit the refrigerator at the halfway point. You couldn't go from the living room to the bathroom if either the oven or the refrigerator door were open. Strangely, that was the least objectionable thing about that apartment.