Taiwanese artist Huang Po-Chih’s first solo exhibition at The Hayward Gallery, Waves, delivers a compelling exploration of globalised trade. Rooted in his mother’s experience as a garment labourer in Taoyuan, his multidisciplinary work powerfully draws together individual narratives with broader experiences of workers across China, Hong Kong and South Korea. By giving voice to systematically marginalised communities, his oeuvre productively dissects the complexities of the Southeast Asian textile industry, exposing the exploitation of labourers inherent in capitalist-driven trading structures.
As you enter the space, a striking series of black and white photographs of Huang’s mother, Ho, and Mrs. Kim, a textile worker from Seoul, confronts you. With their faces obscured, these portraits simultaneously capture anonymity and intimacy, embodying the experiences of countless workers through their concealed identity. Yet, amidst this ubiquity, a raw, familiar connection emerges, illuminated by gentle folds of skin, stray locks of hair, and age spots on weathered hands. Huang’s camera captures details that speak to the individual narratives of Huang’s mother and Mrs. Kim, underling their stories within the collective experience of exploitation.
These images also exude informality and playfulness as the women contort their bodies into elephant-like poses. At first glance, these gestures appear casual, but a sinister political undertone swiftly emerges. The elephant, a symbol of economic growth in Taiwan, starkly reminds us that such prosperity is built on the exploitation of textile workers. Huang masterfully strikes a balance between playful expression and pertinent, yet not overstated, political commentary. This is evident when Mrs. Kim comically entangles herself in wide-leg trousers to mimic an elephant. The result is an effective interplay of equanimity and critique, where Huang challenges unethical capitalist practices in the fast fashion industry without overwhelming the viewer with didacticism.
Huang’s latest video piece, Seven People Crossing the Sea – Racing Pigeon (2024), dramatises Ho Ying’s harrowing journey as an undocumented migrant from mainland China to Hong Kong, culminating in his labour at the Pang Jai textile market. The piece opens with seven performers shrouded in layers of clothing, cutting each other free as if shedding skin. This repetitive task, coupled with their aimless movements, evokes an existential despair, portraying them as automatons trapped in an endless cycle of labour. The silence, punctuated only by rustling of fabric and sharp snips of scissors, is both unsettling and suffocating. The film’s shifting focus heightens its dreamlike quality, suggesting a relentless struggle with their never-ending work.
A powerful transition features a performer representing Ho Ying, dragging an enormous sheet stitched from blue and white garments. His body contorts under its weight, a poignant metaphor for the immense pressures he faces as a migrant. The fabric, soaked and rippling with water, mirrors his perilous sea journey to Hong Kong and reminds the viewer of the exhibition’s title, Waves. In a striking moment, Ho Ying is submerged, eyes closed, surrounded by sodden garments—a harrowing image that encapsulates both the dangers of migration and the exploitation awaiting him in the textile industry.
Despite the challenging subject matter, Huang infuses the exhibition with humanity, inviting viewers to connect with the personal narrative presented. By amplifying the voices of workers often erased in the discourse, his sensitive pieces portray them not as victims but as autonomous individuals with agency, political awareness, and distinct identities. The show is accessible, employing a subtle approach that refrains from direct confrontation with global fast fashion brands. Instead, it challenges the viewer to confront their complicity in the inequalities and exploitative labour practices prevalent in the textile industry of the Global South.
Huang Po-Chih’s exhibition Waves is free and on at The Hayward Gallery 15th Oct 2024 – 5th January 2025
Featured Image: Installation View of Huang Po Chih’s Waves-2024. Photo: Mark Blower, Courtesy: the artist and Hayward Gallery
Review by Florence Marling
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