Exhibition Publication: Division of Labour

Division of Labour is a solo exhibition by Satoru Aoyama at White Rainbow, accompanied by an essay by Keith Whittle exploring the themes of authorship, craft and labour. The text focuses on Aoyama’s ongoing series Map of the World (Dedicated to unknown embroiderers), begun in 2012, which revisits Alighiero Boetti’s Mappa works, originally embroidered by Afghan craftswomen. Aoyama’s maps update Boetti’s imagery while questioning the relationship between artistic authorship and the labour behind an artwork.

Using fluorescent thread and an old Singer sewing machine, Aoyama embroiders the maps himself. The works appear almost blank in daylight, while the borders and countries emerge in darkness, drawing attention to the constructed nature of geopolitical boundaries. By carrying out the labour that Boetti outsourced, Aoyama shifts the focus from the artist’s concept to the process of making and the relationship between art and craft.

The publication also includes a text by the artist examining the gendered and often anonymous labour behind art production. Through embroidery and re-performance, Aoyama draws attention to the craftswomen whose contributions have often been overlooked, raising questions about whose work is recognised and whose remains unseen.