HOME, Waiting Room, fffriedrich, Frankfurt am Main, September 4 — September 24 ‘26
Poster Design by Chufan Luo




{draw(Modernity)}

Sound Performance by Chufan Luo and Farhanaz Rupaidha 13.09.2026, 21’41’’ MinutesSound: Farhanaz Rupaidha, Chufan Luo
Visual: Chufan Luo


Exhibition Text:Deriving from the notion of a Waiting Room, the exhibition space of fffriedrich is transformed into a space of suspension, between the dream of globalization, the failure of industrialization, and the enduring realities of (post-)colonialism. A Waiting Room within which the concept of the local, in contrast to the global, not only promises retreat but is also increasingly romanticized. A space where one hopes to find relief by waiting.

The exhibiting artist Chufan Luo and Farhanaz Rupaidha derive from different research perspectives–while Luo’s artistic practice is based on her ongoing research into the technological evolution of reCAPTCHA, Rupaidha’s research is rooted in the colonial past of Indonesia, which she traces along the history of the banana plant.


In her artistic practice Chufan Luo challenges notions of Artificial Intelligence within a broader understanding of labour. In her recent work she continues to focus on technological colonialism: A system where human experiences can be turned into something marketable and where profit can be made from everything. In her sitespecific installation EPU a never ending human verification is played, reCAPTCHA. EPU refers to Emotional Processing Unit, it enables Humanoid Robotic, Self-Driving Cars to develop a mind, personality, and emotional depth, through learning and experience. Positioned on a transparent inflatable armchair, the laptop is turned to its side, much like a book. Its tilted screen depicts a random selection of images, some real, some AI generated simulations. When encountering the installation, one is confronted with the question of functionality. Both the laptop and the armchair are stripped of their common usage. This loss of intent is akin to the weak defense CAPTCHAs offer against bots. A CAPTCHA does not itself know the correct answer. Instead, it relies on "correct images" collectively recognized by millions of humans as the standard for verification.
Farhanaz Rupaidha’s  sculptural installation Transport depicts a banana plant with its soft green colors. The work is pierced by metal wire and rivets, by which it is mounted to the wall. A dried banana leaf, carefully folded, hangs by a silver thread. The work touches on the history of the banana plant and its changing meaning. Rupaidha’s ongoing research on the changing meaning of the plant itself becomes evident. While the banana is a globally consumed fruit, the plant persists as a living cultural object deeply embedded in folk rituals and traditional practices across different societies. The work traces the banana’s historical movement from Southeast Asia to other regions of the world, including South America, while also reflecting on its transformation into a global commodity within colonial and postcolonial economic systems.


As part of the exhibition, both artists activate the exhibited works with sound and audiovisual performances. The at first muted, passing landscape and personal imagery of both artists transform into complex scores and a soundscape in their entirety. By that both artists indicate a shift in how spectators perceive the work emotionally within time-based media.


The printed zine functions as a medium to engage all visitors in our conversations, spanning from spiritual folklore, (visual) explorations of postcolonialism and questioning the dream of modernity. The zine furthermore situates all four collaborators within their immediate context of research and the immanent educational aspect in exchanging transnational stories.

Curated by Supattra nink Tan & Sophie Franziska Schultz
Exhibition Views:

Essay by Sophie Franziska Schultz:

Loving Local

In 1974 Terry Smith published an essay titled “The Provincialism Problem” in Artforum. It sparked a debate that has lasted until today and shows no sign of resolving. The main argument is that of the distinction between metropolitan art centers and art peripheries. Smith argues that artists who live in so-called peripheral regions are unable to participate in shaping the canon of art history (or, for that matter, any canon). The term periphery is not understood here solely in a geographical sense. Rather, it can be viewed as a position outside of dominant cultural, political, or economic centers. Modernity is understood in this context as a pre-condition for artistic creation and modes of production. Modernism as the artistic response or strategy to it. A Modern Masterpiece. Would that be a work of art considered successful?

This works!

Back in 1974, Smith spoke about New York's very prominent art center. However, we could also think of Paris, which, in this regard, was the most important center of artistic creation and constant renewal before World War II. Today, the distinction made between center and periphery is more ambiguous. And with it the pre-conditions of contemporary art in a globalized world.

The modern city. The homogenous city. The ultra contemporary city. The convenient city.

The provincial is romanticized as the promise of retreat (because who doesn’t dream of self-sufficiency, of creating art in quietude, surrounded by an idyllic landscape far from the city?), an image that the metropolitan art center then capitalizes on. Like a new genre of Mooi Indië, the romantic and idealized depiction of what was then Dutch East Indies (colonized Indonesia) in Dutch landscape painting. The artwork becomes a souvenir and at times a tool of propaganda. Following Susan Stewart's thoughts on objects as (anti)souvenirs we can distinguish two kinds: those souvenirs that transform meaning into materiality and those that transform materiality into meaning. Hence, the provincial image is the city's most favorite souvenir and with it the fetishization of the simple life.