The work of the German-American artist Rebecca Sampson (1984) is a photographic study of the daily life of Indonesian domestic workers in Hong Kong. With little to no leisure time or personal space, these labour migrants construct a parallel identity using social media channels. Far from home and in a completely female subculture, the women develop an ambiguous sexual identity. Sampson portrays this population in a layered multi-media narrative, consisting of documentary photography, social media footage, and text.
During the exhibition opening, the photographer presents her new book Apples for Sale, in which she captures the shadow existence of these women. Sampson will go into conversation with Foam curator Hinde Haest about her observations in Hong Kong and her inventive approach to documentary photography.
The evening is organised in the context of Sampson's first solo museum exhibition, which is on show until 16 December 2018 at Foam 3h.
Gathering of Indonesian housemaids on their day off – Victoria Park, Hong Kong, 2017, from the Series Apples for Sale, 2016-17 © Rebecca Sampson
The research for the project Apples for Sale was funded by the Robert Bosch Stiftung in cooperation with the Literarisches Colloquium Berlin and within the context of the program Grenzgänger China – Deutschland.
This exhibition is made possible with support of the Gieskes-Strijbis Fund, the Van Bijlevelt Foundation and Kleurgamma Fine-Art Photolab
Foam is supported by the BankGiro Loterij, De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek, Gemeente Amsterdam, Olympus and the VandenEnde Foundation.
FLORENTINE RIEM VIS STIPENDUM
Rebecca Sampson is the second recipient of the Florentine Riem Vis Grant, which was established in memory of Florentine Riem Vis (1959-2016). The grant is awarded annually with the goal of supporting young photographic talent in the development of their artistic career.
ABOUT REBECCA SAMPSON
Rebecca Sampson (Germany, 1984) studied photography at Ostkreuzschüle - School of Photography and Design in Berlin. Her work has been exhibited internationally and was part of the exhibition Gute Aussichten Deluxe in Deichtorhallen / Haus der Photographie Hamburg in 2018. She is currently working on a science and art project with the Technical University in Berlin, and is a resident at the Goethe Institute. This year her first book Apples for Sale was published by Kerber Verlag. Sampson lives and works in Berlin.