Bu Kè Qi (Don’t mention it)
During a residency at the Chinese European Art Centre in Xiamen, Ruimers was struck by the advancement of modern life in China and signs of prosperity, while so many people were still struggling to get by. To capture this disparity, he photographed the city’s street life, focussing on exhausted workers who tried to steal a few moments of sleep. Ruimers printed the photographs on mouse mats which he used as floor tiles for the installation Bu Ke Qi (Don’t mention it). Notions of the surface and what lies beneath mingle with questions of inequality: millions of people work night and day to obtain a standard of living that others take for granted. The wealthy tread on the poor labourers. The installation also contains wish balloons made of plastic – the cheap, polluting material standing in for people’s genuine dreams and aspirations.
