Artist in residence, Stockholm, September 4 – November 16, 2023

Luke Ching Chin Wai (程展緯) is a conceptual artist and labour activist from Hong Kong. His artistic practice twists the role of the artist and observer and has created works that, with a mix of humor, respond to the cultural and political collisions in Hong Kong. Apart from participating in different exhibitions, he has also worked as a part-time subway cleaner/supermarket helper/lecturer/security guard. He shares his observations on the workplace, especially from the working conditions of grassroot workers, in local newspapers and social media to evoke new imaginations of social reality and to make social changes eventually.

Photo: Luke Ching Chin Wai

Ching Chin Wai, Luke

Through residency programs in different cities, he hopes to make comparative observations and look for creative models of social change, where artists are engaged. For IASPIS, he finds an immediate connection with the city of Stockholm through IKEA, from which he bought home furniture. But also the subway system, which is operated by MTR, for which he works as a cleaner in one of the subway stations in Hong Kong. IKEA, the world’s largest exporter of the idea of the Swedish home, is a place to keep you stay. MTR, a public transport corporation from Hong Kong, is a system to keep you in a constantly moving state.