In his first solo exhibition in Singapore, Rosit Mulyadi poetically presents the geographical displacement and emotional estrangement that female migrant domestic workers experience. Through clever subversions of art historically canon pieces, ‘Anti-Canon’ centres figures that have been neglected and sidelined in global cultural and economic canons. The works evoke feelings of longing and neglect, further emphasising the problems of rural exploitation, underappreciated domestic labour, and women’s sacrifices in economic precarity.

This exhibition blurs the distinction between highbrow and lowbrow, featuring the artist’s technical virtuosity in appropriating Western masterpieces and his sharp sensibility for text-based aesthetics. Mulyadi’s intentional misunderstanding of these art historical works serves as a long overdue payback to avenge centuries of misconceptions that the West had towards Eastern conventions.

More than just an aesthetic exploration, the artworks in this exhibition reveal the artist’s care for social justice issues. Rooting from the ongoing socioeconomic struggles in Mulyadi’s rural hometown, Ciamis, this exhibition stands in cross-background solidarity with female migrant domestic workers in their plight against gender and labour inequalities.

When: 24 Sep - 9 Oct 2022, Mon - Fri: 11:00am to 7:00pm; Sat, Sun & PH: 12:00pm to 6:00pm

By: Gajah Gallery