HARD WORK
Working Class Daughter
(refuse to surrender)

drawing, Pigmentliner, 70 x 100 cm, 2025

With the drawings HARD WORK, I explore different processes of artistic work itself. The starting point was my video WORK BY THE PIECE, in which I asked about my mother's body movements during her many years of factory work. How can piecework wage labor—visible in the physical memory of her hands—be contrasted with my creative work? I address this issue with the working time protocol, which—similar to time cards—records the necessary tasks and working hours required for the drawings. This ialso refers to the title HARD WORK, which humorously and realistically links wage labor and artistic work. The individual sheets refer to texts, images, and songs that deal with classism that are important references in my artistic practice. For example, the title “Distinction” refers to Pierre Bourdieu, “If You Want My Future, Forget My Past” quotes a line from a Spice Girls song, and “Working Class Daughter (refuse to surrender)” refers to the book of the same german title, as well as to my own family history. The cycle of works questions the visibility of work, but at the same time refers to the (in)comparability of different work systems.