From March 9^th until May 27^th the exhibition Why Work? is on display at Fotodok in Utrecht. The group show addresses the importance of work, for ourselves, for our society and for the future. The pace at which our daily work environment changes is unrivaled. Technological developments, geopolitical developments and free-market thinking make that the function of working in our society is changing drastically. Economists expect that in 20 years 50% of the jobs we know today will no longer exist.

The exhibition includes the Paradox project Mono Men by Simone Mudde & Olivier van Breugel. Their installation refers to questions on work and retirement in the Japanese tradition. In doing so they display the life of security guards at construction sites. Come rain or shine, they are always there. In Japan the age of teinen (retirement) is 62. However, retiring in Japan does not mean the same thing as in Europe. Teinen marks the end of ‘lifetime employment’ but not a complete withdrawal from the labor force. This transitional arrangement is designed to free up jobs for younger workers.What’s more, if you have spent your entire career working six days a week and most of your social life has revolved around work, retirement is akin to social isolation.

Why Work?
9 March -27 May 2018
Fotodok, Lange Nieuwstraat 7, 3512 PA Utrecht
http://www.fotodok.org/tentoonstelling