Amalia Ulman: Labour Dance

“Labour Dance”, the title of Ulman’s latest solo exhibition at Arcadia Missa (London), at first glance could be interpreted as a nod to open-plan fail harder work cultures of recent years, however the term is taken directly from a practice used by some women to induce birth. As put by Kristeva, “One does not give birth in pain, one gives birth to pain”. The installation at Arcadia Missa acts as a one durational piece, an aftermath of Privilege (seen online and in part for the Berlin Biennial).

The dominant aesthetic of power and legitimacy are explored and dramatised by Ulman, suggesting that the artist’s own ability to express and complain carries its own privilege—a position of criticality not accessible to all.