Drawing on the invitation letter
of Guangzhou Triennial 2008, wood, a photo and pencils from Guangzhou Triennial
2008
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In 2008, while working as an assistant to a participating artist at the Guangzhou Triennial, Tang Kwok-hin stayed in an organizer-arranged hotel where he encountered a woman working in the massage parlor. What began as an awkward and unexpected encounter in a room bathed in red light evolved into a profound human exchange. Instead of the anticipated service, they engaged in conversation — about her life, her hometown, the deception that led her to this work, and the realities of her existence. Learning that she could draw, Tang handed her the official Triennial invitation card. On its reverse, using the pencil provided by the organizers, she sketched his portrait. He paid her the standard service fee.
A Proper Job presents this intimate collaboration as artwork: the original invitation letter bearing her drawing, accompanied by related objects and a photograph. Through this quiet yet radical gesture, Tang transforms a fleeting, socially stigmatized encounter into a moment of artistic authorship and mutual recognition.
The work delicately probes the boundaries between art and life, labor and creation, and the hierarchies of value we assign to different forms of work. By inviting a sex worker to draw on an official art-world document, Tang questions who is entitled to make art, what constitutes a “proper job,” and how art institutions and everyday existence intersect. The piece carries layers of irony, empathy, and quiet subversion — elevating a marginalized voice within the very framework of an international exhibition.
因作為2008年一位廣州三年展參展藝術家的助手，偶然於大會安排的酒店遇上一位在按摩店樓層的性工作者。跟她在房間內單獨相處的時間，以對話與奇異的經歷取代肉體交流。
當天剛完成作品裝置，該新加坡藝術家與我便前往按摩店，各自進了房間。燈異樣的紅，她一進門甫開口：「我現在可以為你服務。」令我醒覺到，原來在毫無召妓打算的情況下，一霎眼便跌入這種極端尷尬場面。我裝作不知道說話含意，只著她按按肩膀。手指傳達的觸感告訴我，她好像並不太懂。只忽然想了解一下她的故事，便讓她坐下來談談。由其出生，背景，直至被欺騙到這工作的經歷，真假的部分雖然難分，但作為妓女，這份職業本身就被普遍認定為低賤的工作。恰巧聽她曾習過素描，因此從背包取出廣州三年展邀請信及大會送贈的鉛筆，於上款加入她的代名，再讓她於信件背面替我畫一張人像畫，付她一次服務的價錢。
我們沒有再見過面，最後一次聯絡是她從廣州撥過電話來，說已經沒再從事那份工作了。
