The Robes from TOOLS/WORK

Kawita Vatanajyankur’s immensely popular body of work oftentimes pushes her body’s physical limits, sees her being transformed into ubiquitous objects that feature in our everyday lives. The artist’s choice of objects portray the everyday domestic labour that women have become irrevocably intertwined with in her Thai homeland – a social reality which struck the artist as somewhat of a culture shock upon her return from studies abroad. As she contorts, suspends, and swings her body to simulate tasks like sweeping, cleaning, washing clothes and hanging them out to dry, the bright cheery colours of the video very quickly make way to reveal a dark comedy that highlights the subtle violence of domestic labor against women.