10Mar

22Jul

“you kids should only experience this for a moment – don’t be here for life like me”

As part of an ongoing enquiry into the conditions of labour, this latest exhibition by John Vea hones in on the people that work in Auckland’s factories. Focusing on how long days spent performing monotonous tasks affects the workers, he recreates the atmosphere of the potato chip plant as an installation for the gallery space. The work allows the audience to immerse themselves in a similar experience to that lived daily by the workers.

As far removed from the reality of factories as the art world can be, the artist bridges both spaces with this new piece, named after a statement heard on his first day at the factory from the mouth of a Samoan worker. Her advice to the younger generation becomes a cautionary tale encompassing both hope and despair in one sentence.