Lee Kit's 'Porn' exhibition subverts expectations with chaste domesticity at Mother's Tankstation

Hong Kong-born artist Lee Kit presents an exhibition titled 'Porn' that deliberately contradicts its provocative name through restrained, contemplative works. Running from 1 May to 21 June 2025 at Mother's Tankstation in Dublin, the show features serene paintings, understated video projections, and spare assemblages constructed from humble domestic items. Two tall spraypaint compositions titled 'Porn' and 'a smile w disgust' depict hazy cloud formations against blue-green skies, with jarring titles handwritten in pastel on their surfaces. The video work 'Progressive failure / Equally unremarkable / Consider it normal' projects three slogans amid swirling blue, pink, and purple clouds onto a spraypainted steel surface. Two collapsible laundry racks draped with printed T-shirts bear dispiriting maxims like 'Everything stops here' and 'A funeral for every morning,' emphasizing ordinary human burdens rather than erotic fantasy. Another projected video titled 'Dirty Hands' presents text describing a character accustomed to porn through sensations of irritation and unease, accompanied by repetitive jazz music. The exhibition includes transparent packing tape wallpapering a corner space and tissue paper wrapping a steel screen, adding layers of concealment. Kit's work explores themes of cleaning and purification while diffusing political passions beneath calm surfaces, creating tension between surface perfection and underlying discontent.