7. Unfolding: Fabric of Our Lives
The 2019 opening exhibition, Unfolding: Fabric of Our Lives, in the newly converted Mills showcased works by 17 artists in CHAT’s contemporary art galleries. Each artist disclosed subjective interpretations of themes such as land development, working conditions, globalisation, gender issues, and migration.
The following artworks were part of the exhibition.
Live and Survive by Malaysian collective of artists Pangrok Sulap is a chaotic and detailed representation of an imagined city being destroyed by excavators, while police harass protesters. The collective is known for its socio-political narratives on land development, environmental exploitation, and human rights.
The Lonely Labourer by Japanese artist Aoyama Satoru is an ironic view on William Morris’ criticism of factory production and industrial labour. Morris was one of the founders of the 19th century Arts and Crafts movement in Britain, a socialist and strong defender of traditional craftsmanship and design. Satoru’s film shows an automated sewing machine making embroidery of words randomly taken from letters written by Morris. By mechanising Morris’s words, Satoru questions the fate of his principles about craftsmanship in face of rapid industrialisation, as well as the future of human labour and the role of the artist itself when confronted with technology.