Kaixiang Zhang
Broomball
Indoor broomball: coco fibre and wood
Outdoor broomball: palmyra fibre and wood
Approx. 21 cm (diameter) each
During a gallery visit in the summer of 2023, a friend and I happened to witness a staff member cleaning the exhibition space: after sweeping a pile of dust into a corner, he pressed a concealed compartment in the white wall and swiftly brushed the debris inside. That moment made me realize that beneath the composed perfection of the "White Cube," waste is seldom truly removed; instead, it is strategically secreted behind invisible boundaries. The dust continues to reside within the very architectural fabric of the museum, temporarily evading the gaze of the audience while maintaining a persistent presence. The materials are sourced from traditional broom fibers: the indoor version utilizes fine coco fiber, while the outdoor version employs the coarser, more resilient palmyra fiber.
By stripping away the long handles and reshaping the bristles into spheres, I sought to challenge the conventional logic of cleaning. These objects are no longer tools for maintaining order; rather, they actively "mess up the space" by dragging dust from one point to another. Here, cleaning is reconstructed as a performative displacement: audiences are invited to kick the works freely throughout the space. Through these aimless movements and collisions, viewers are prompted to reflect on the inescapable residues that linger beneath the polished surfaces of daily life.