Caixi He

Work Energy Workout explores the affective dimension of labour control within contemporary Chinese corporate culture through the aesthetics of cuteness and the language of ironic memes. 

The project collects, categorises, and reanimates the positive poses found in workplace memes and corporate mascots. These are reconstructed into a performative dance. Using physical fatigue as a metaphor, the performance visualises the invisible affective depletion experienced by white-collar workers under the demand for constant enthusiasm and self-exploitation. 

Through this project, I aim to use graphic media design as a tool of activism to awaken the critical agency within memes, encouraging everyday users to re-examine their shared memes and recognise the deeper social realities they articulate—ultimately challenging the affective control in contemporary corporatism.