Warehouse 421 | Abu Dhabi, UAE
Chirag's Things / Together We Ensure A Superior Life for Residents
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Chirag's Things. 2019. Lucite box made to the dimensions of the UN's formula for overcrowding, personal items (alarm clock, backpack, bed, belt, blanket, body lotion, body spray, bowl, clothes hangers, cold and cough tablets cup, curtain, detergent, dish liquid, earbuds, extension cord, fabric softener, fork, frying pan, grocery bag, grocery items, hair trimmer, handkerchief, lamp, mirror, Panadol, pants, perfumes, plate, phone, phone charger, phone stand, pillow, rice, rice cooker, shaving blade, shaving cream, shirts, shoes, shorts, slippers, small fan, socks, soft toy, spoon, suitcase, sunglasses, t-shirts, tank top, Tiger Balm, tissue, toothbrush, toothpaste, tongue cleaner, towel, travel bag, underwear, Vick’s Vapor Rub, wallet, washing powder, water, water bottle), 100 x 100 x 100 cm. Commissioned by Salama bint Hamdan Al Nahyan Foundation. Courtesy of the NYU Abu Dhabi Art Gallery. Photo: Altamash Urooj
Taking its name from a campaign to end shared housing in the UAE, “Together We Ensure A Superior Life for Residents” explores the politics of space and visibility that collapses into the cramped bedspaces that typify old areas like Satwa and the Sharjah Industrial Zone.
Consisting of sculpture, photography and textile, this installation talks about living in the periphery of the city. Dubai has the highest cost of living in the world—and an expat population that sits at almost 90%. Most of these expatriates are from so-called low-income countries and their salary can be as low as 400 dollars a month.
The centerpiece of the exhibition is "Chirag's Things," which was made after Christopher found a two-bedroom apartment that had 18 people in just one room. Using the UN’s formula for overcrowding, the sculpture illustrates at human-scale the amount of space one bachelor has in a bed space room that houses 17 other people.
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