‘Dance of Delivery’: Chinese delivery drivers, oil on canvas
A series of oil paintings about the harsh conditions that China's 3 million delivery workers face.
The food delivery industry is a microcosm of the rapid development of contemporary China. Behind the crazy expansion of the entire industry is the cruel reality faced by delivery workers: they have to risk their lives on the road to deliver orders within a required time. Negative ratings from customer will cause them to incur fines. Still, they are often unable to obtain the most basic welfare guarantees, such as retirement plans, work-related injury compensation, vacation time, and medical insurance.
The title of this series, Dance of Delivery, alludes to the medieval concept of the “dance of death.” This series of oil paintings touches on six aspects of the delivery driver’s work: customer ratings, overloaded cargo, running red light, time constraints, gambling, and training.
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