Hiding in Plain Sight, 2018

Exhibited at the Commons Gallery, Honolulu with Asma Kazmi.

This exhibition project constitutes an interdisciplinary inquiry into the complex dynamics of societal transformation, mainly focusing on the valorization of technological advancements at the expense of human labor. The participating artists, including myself and Asma Kazmi, engage in a critical examination of the multifaceted demands that labor imposes on individuals, set against a backdrop of increasing civic and social alienation. The project serves as a discursive platform to interrogate the construction of both material and symbolic borders, which engender social exclusion and circumscribe the expression of localized cultural identities.

In my contribution to the exhibition, a monumental column—reclined on its side—functions as a potent symbol imbued with dystopian resonance. This sculptural element, modeled after a column from Highway 3 that connects Honolulu with Kaneohe, is a connective tissue that bridges the virtual reality installations and textual narratives displayed on the gallery walls. The work encapsulates stories related to the construction of the highway and the concomitant erosion of local residents' struggle for autonomy. Through a curated assemblage of objects, photographs, and textual elements, the installation crafts a dystopian landscape—a space where human agency exists but is rendered inaudible.

Kazmi's work, titled "Cranes and Cube," it offers a cartographic exploration of the rapidly evolving urban landscapes, mapping the ideological and material shifts propelled by the real estate boom in various cities. This work engages in a dialogic relationship with the ongoing reconfiguration of historic structures and traditional neighborhoods. Conceptualizing the city as a palimpsest, "Cranes and Cube" is preoccupied with deciphering the multiple, simultaneous layers of environmental change. The artwork employs diverse media to reproduce construction sites, avant-garde building technologies, and flamboyant architectural forms. It aims to critique the middle-class and upper-middle-class aspirations that perpetuate ahistorical architectural vocabularies, which increasingly align with global trends rather than localized cultural contexts.

This multi-layered exhibition aims to contribute to academic and public discourses on the intersections of technology, labor, social alienation, and architectural transformation. The project serves as a visual and intellectual exploration, inviting viewers to engage in a nuanced interpretive process that extends beyond the immediate aesthetic experience to encompass broader sociopolitical, economic, and cultural considerations. Thus, the exhibition functions as a complex intertextual cipher that intersects the personal, the political, and the architectural, offering a comprehensive understanding of the intricate processes that shape our contemporary reality.