Many of these women also fulfill their longing for love and partnership in this social environment and enter couple relationships within the community. In doing so, they often reenact the traditional gender roles they know from the very conservative Muslim Indonesian society. Tomboys—women who dress and act masculine—take on the male part. Lovingly prepared dolls replace the missing children. Thus, a space far removed from controlling glances emerges within the community of Indonesian domestic workers, allowing the women to create parallel identities and explore their sexuality in a kind of role play.
German American photographer Rebecca Sampson (*1984) documented all these facets of the lives of Indonesian domestic workers in a multi-layered multimedia narrative. In addition to photography and text, Apples for Sale also features excerpts from the women's social media feeds. With little free time at their disposal, much of their social life takes place in the virtual world of Facebook. Here, individually acting out one’s own personality knows no boundaries.
Opening: Friday, 25 March 2022, 7 p.m.
Curator: Daniela Yvonne Baumann