Yuz Museum Shanghai is hosting Memory Machine, the first solo exhibition in China by Thai artist Kawita Vatanajyankur.

Vatanajyankur's work consistently probes the structural inequalities and systemic imbalances that lie beneath everyday life and consumer habits. She illuminates the often-invisible and dehumanizing treatment endured by women and low-wage laborers, both within households and society at large. Her unwavering pursuit of justice and fairness forms the foundation of her artistic practice.

The exhibition features six works created between 2018 and 2025, reflecting her ongoing exploration of the relationship between labor, technology, and human existence. Using her own body as a medium, the artist mimics the machinery and instruments through distorted postures and repetitive motions. In her video performances, bright, highly saturated colors blend with minimalist compositions to create a distinctive visual language.

One highlight is Echoes, a new work created especially for this exhibition. For this piece, Vatanajyankur undertook an unusual experiment: she trained an artificial intelligence model on writings left behind by her late father. In the video, the artist hangs upside down like the clapper inside a bell, her body swinging against a large golden bell. The AI controls the rhythm of her movement, sending Morse code-like signals after processing her father's writings to guide when and how forcefully she should strike. With each resonant chime, a trace of her father's presence is carried forward, living on through the machine.

If you go

When: Through Aug 30

Where: Yuz Museum Shanghai, No 8 Alley 123, Pending Road, Qingpu district

Hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 11 am – 7 pm

Admission: Free

Source: Yuz Museum Shanghai