Gallery VER

 

On the surface, loving your job seems like a cure-all. Yet, it can also become a veil, obscuring the harsh realities of the workplace. Capitalism, after all, thrives on productivity, leaving little room for acknowledging the pain, stress, and mental strain it often inflicts. Fueled by passion and a positive attitude, workers are encouraged to see these struggles as mere hurdles on the path to self-improvement, easily surmounted by the capable and ambitious. The burden of maintaining a seamless, positive work environment falls solely on the individual, with self-care becoming a tool for workers to return to the grind with renewed enthusiasm, perpetuating an endless cycle of performance.

Cloaking sorrow behind the waxes of candle tears, “Don’t Cry at Work” by Pitchapa Wangprasertkul is a first solo exhibition resulting from her confrontation between the individual self, the role of an artist, and her professional career. Mosaic fragments of complex identities reflected on employee cards dangling the hall of distorted self and warped identities. Featuring durational performances that spans through the exhibition period, Pitchapa questions the identity of herself as a worker in a system where relentless demands for self-improvement and unwavering duty burden individuals with the responsibility of managing their own emotions only to avoid being ostracized from the societal circle.