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Santiago Sierra — 24 Blocks of Concrete Constantly Moved During a Day's Work by Paid Workers
Santiago Sierra

24 Blocks of Concrete Constantly Moved During a Day's Work by Paid Workers

A monumental exercise in labor and futility, Sierra's work employs paid workers to endlessly relocate 24 concrete blocks throughout the course of a single workday. The piece exposes the arbitrary nature of wage labor, reducing the act of work to its most elemental and purposeless form. By compensating workers to perform a task devoid of productive outcome, Sierra critiques the power structures that define the relationship between employer and employee.

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Under the Influence

December 10, 2014

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About this work

Santiago Sierra, 24 Blocks of Concrete Constantly Moved During a Day's Work by Paid Workers

A monumental exercise in labor and futility, Sierra's work employs paid workers to endlessly relocate 24 concrete blocks throughout the course of a single workday. The piece exposes the arbitrary nature of wage labor, reducing the act of work to its most elemental and purposeless form. By compensating workers to perform a task devoid of productive outcome, Sierra critiques the power structures that define the relationship between employer and employee.

Seen at
Phillips, New York, London, Hong Kong

Related themes

Bold, Political, Minimalist, Installation, Conceptual Art, Industrial Materials, Labor, Performance, Spanish, Contemporary

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