This work was inspired by my travel experiences in Southeast Asia. When passing through countries like Cambodia, Vietnam, and Thailand, many massage parlours can be spotted on the streets. They are widely favoured by foreigners because of the lowly priced services. However, according to my observations, the locals seldom seem to patronise them. In contrast, foreign objects that are mixed in the lives of the local people are consumed and gradually become everyday. Hence, I selected a lot of foreign daily items that were not produced locally, and requested for the masseuses to act out massage techniques according to the shape of the items, trying imitate the welcoming of an exterior body using massage techniques on familiar everyday objects.
I recorded this image: A pair of hands with skilful techniques cleverly massaging various everyday objects, sometimes pushing and sometimes kneading. The process was absurd. At the moment, the movement of the massage also reveals multiple meanings - pleasing others – which is the the fundamental purpose of massage, aggression - squeezing and kneading which damages the items. These motions may also have sexual hints such as fetishes and flirtation. They are remixed into a blend of charming and resisting emotions, giving birth to individuals who have come from local and exotic cultural backgrounds.
Detail pictures:
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