The New poor 

2022

This project is inspired by my intern experience as a curator assistant in Today Art Museum. It was my first time working as an office worker, staying in the office from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and 5 days a week and dealing with endless paperwork and group meeting presentations.

Conversely, the small talk among colleagues is usually about commodities that are low-expensive but can somehow promote living quality or self-satisfaction, such as, new cosmetics, skincare, fragrance, popular manicure style, perfumes, etc. I believe those topics represent their ability of achieving autonomous consumption in the sense that they believe that possessing and using consumer goods are necessary for individual happiness and well-being. While, in a contrasting sense, I consider this phenomenon is an illusion created by the capitalism. The capitalism or to be more specific, those popular brands apply advertisement or other method to shape the desire of consumers and rationalize their consumption.