SPINNING WHEELS
In her solo show ‘Spinning Wheels’, internationally acclaimed video artist Kawita Vatanajyankur references the tasks undertaken by physical labourers in the textiles industry by transforming herself into a hybrid of machine and organism; putting her body into arduous positions while performing repetitive motions (all of which is done by the artist in a quasi-nude state, against boldly coloured backdrops). This site-specific installation, set within the Jim Thompson House Museum, corresponds with and relates to the textiles on the museum’s second floor, producing a contextual exploration of themes that include materialism, labour issues, feminism, and humanity vs mechanics. Born in Bangkok, the now 34-year-old Kawita has had her work exhibited in London, Venice, Melbourne, Singapore and Taiwan, and is part of the permanent collection at MOCA Bangkok. In 2018 she participated in the Bangkok Art Biennale, and in 2019 she had a solo show at the Albright Knox Art Gallery in upstate New York.