Contemporary Art Contemplates the Garment Industry: Visible and Invisible Realities

Students of labor history have studied strikes at textile mills and clothing factories. Unfortunately, business and labor historians have not considered strikes in relation to the disappearance of artisanal textile-producing communities in Southeast Asia and China.

My paper focuses on four cases of contemporary art making that takes up the legacy of colonialism and imperial exploitation in artisanal communities and in modern urban factories. Artists to be included are Patty Chang (Route 3, 2011; 3-channel video installations made in collaboration with David Kelley); Kevin Beasley (Rebuilding of the Cotton Gin Motor II, 2016; installation); Jaye Rhee (Seesaw, 2003; 5-channel video installations); Do-ho Suh (Almost Home, 2018; immersive architectural installations).

I argue that the visible and invisible realities of textile labor—sewing, repairing, noise, dust, and certain types of music—are inseparable from contemporary art focused on rural and urban communities of garment workers and the world of mass consumption.