The Works：Migrant Women Workers, Wilson Shieh x Sun Yat Sen Museum & Singer Songwriter Najwa Mahiadd

Like many other hard working cities, Hong Kong would most likely find it hard to thrive as it does without the presence of female migrant workers from countries like the Philippines and Indonesia. The same story is repeated across much of the world. Economic disparities mean many in poorer countries have to leave their own homes, and work in the homes of others, to survive and earn money for their families. And sometimes the work they do is considerably harder on them than domestic work. The challenges of the lives of female migrant workers is the subject of a current exhibition at the University of Hong Kong.
Over the past month, The Works has been introducing the Hi! Houses series, in which artists are invited to create site-specific art works in some of Hong Kong’s most significant older buildings. So far we’ve seen Lam Tung-pang’s work in Wong Uk in Shatin, and an exhibition by ceramic artist Fiona Wong at Law Uk in Chai Wan. Today, we’re heading to mid-levels, to Kom Tong Hall, and the work of Wilson Shieh. And in case the name “Kom Tong Hall” doesn’t mean anything to you, you might know it better as a museum dedicated to one particular revolutionary thinker.
In 1974, as part of a small group of philosophers and literary figures from France, Roland Barthes visited China, during the final stage of the Cultural Revolution. The group was warmly received by Chinese writers and academics, but their visit was tightly controlled and they were kept to a highly planned and monitored itinerary. Barthes planned to write a book on the trip when he returned to France, but he never completed it. However, in 2011, more than three decades later, “Travels in China” a book based on notes and other materials he wrote at the time, was published. At Blindspot Gallery five Chinese artists have taken those notes as the starting point for their group exhibition “After Party: Collective Dance and Individual Gymnastics”. Their aim, they say, is to highlight the complex political tension between the ideological control of the state and the expression of the individual will.
A graduate of Berklee College of Music, Malaysian singer songwriter, Najwa Mahiaddin released her first album “Innocent Soul” six years ago, and was instantly recognised for her soul and R&B style. Now though, she’s changing musical direction a little. She’s here to tell us more about it.