Untitled (with Dwi, Rian, Welly, and Siti), 2017-present
4K Ultra HD video duration 20 minutes; acrylic on jute; performance.
In collaboration with domestic workers, this body of work wields the act of cleaning as the process of art-making. Domestic workers are hired to maintain a clean canvas as I execute paint onto the surface. The canvas records traces of tension resulted in the oscillation between the sense of duty embraced by the cleaners and the persistence of the artist to paint. By juxtaposing the domestic work and the experience of art-making, the role of the “laborer” and the “painter” is reshuffled and decontextualized. This constant switching of roles disrupts the egocentric supremacy of artistic expression while appropriating the open authorship of an artwork.
Video Excerpt
Exhibition
1 February – 30 April 2017, Young Contemporary Award (Bakat Muda Sezaman), National Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
http://www.artgallery.gov.my/?p=4828