WHO IS TAKING CARE OF THE CAREGIVER?
2025
Performance Length: 10 min,
Red cotton strings (2 meters each, inscribed with reflective questions) attached to a dress and sound recording of approximately 300 caregiving tasks
300 x 300 x 160 cm
“Who is Taking Care of the Caregiver?” is a performance piece that highlights the labor of caregiving, drawing attention to both societal expectations and the emotional landscapes of the caregiver. During the performance, a list of around 300 responsibilities commonly expected of mothers is read aloud, cataloging tasks that range from the mundane to the emotionally burdensome. At the same time, assistants unravel fabric strings inscribed with reflective questions- expressions of love, frustration, exhaustion, and resilience.
This dual narrative juxtaposes the external demands of caregiving with its internal toll, revealing the often-unseen labor that sustains families and societies.
The performance draws from Silvia Federici’s analysis of caregiving labor within capitalist economies, where care is marginalized because it does not generate economic profit. This systemic undervaluation perpetuates invisibility, placing the burden of care disproportionately on women. By interweaving Federici’s critique with deeply personal reflections, the work bridges theoretical analysis and lived experience, exposing how structural inequalities and emotional strain intersect in the daily lives of caregivers.
The unraveling fabric becomes a metaphor for both the exposure of hidden tensions and the caregiver’s diminishing resilience under the weight of relentless expectations. Questions such as How do I keep going? Why am I never enough? Who am I beyond this role? illuminate the silent struggles and contradictions at the heart of caregiving. These are not just personal inquiries, but systemic ones- challenging viewers to confront why care remains unseen, unsupported, and undervalued.
Caregivers, especially mothers, are often left to care for themselves, turning self-care into yet another responsibility within an already overwhelming cycle. This work ultimately asks: How do we value care- and how is it possible that it remains so profoundly undervalued?