Kawita Vatanajyankur’s durational performances explore principles of labour and social equity to reveal the exploitation underpinning our consumer economy. Her earliest performance works were made on returning to her family home in Bangkok after several years studying in Melbourne. In response to the different cultural perceptions of women in Thailand and Australia, she created a group of works highlighting women’s often invisible labour and how the tools they use at work often become extensions of their identity. From this fascination with the human–labour–machine relationship, Vatanajyankur turned her attention to industries in which vulnerable workers are impacted by labour exploitation and human trafficking – an ongoing issue in Thailand and many other parts of the world.

In her compelling performances, Vatanajyankur makes her body a part of the machine – whether this is a measuring scale, a plough or the shuttle of a loom – performing its repetitive actions herself in feats of physical and psychological endurance. These have included the series ‘Machinized’ 2016–ongoing, ‘Field work’ 2020–ongoing and ‘Performing textiles’ 2018–ongoing – mesmerising and confronting performances that draw on Vatanajyankur’s research into markets, farms, small textile-producing villages and garment factories. Through her actions, the artist endeavours to expose how the capitalist economy dehumanises its labourers, in conditions that can infringe on the most basic human rights.

The machine ghost in the human shell 2024, from the artist’s ‘Cyber labour’ series 2022–ongoing, is her most recent work made with artificial intelligence (AI) researcher Pat Pataranutaporn, and addresses the implications and possibilities of AI.