Rachel Youn's Massagers Bloom into Labor Critique at Venice Biennale

Rachel Youn transforms massagers into flower-like sculptures for the 2026 Venice Biennale, exploring the dehumanizing repetition of labor. The works feature vibrating massagers adorned with artificial petals, creating a hybrid of organic and mechanical forms. Youn's practice critiques the expectation of constant productivity under capitalism, drawing parallels between the repetitive motion of the machines and human tasks. The artist, known for her kinetic sculptures, will present these mutated massagers in the context of the Biennale's international exhibition. The piece 'A Machine Replaces Human Labour' directly references the displacement of workers by automation. Youn's work has been exhibited at galleries including JTT in New York and Commonwealth and Council in Los Angeles.