Ryan Debolski made this work during a year in Oman as part of his Fulbright Fellowship in 2014. LIKE explores the physical and digital relationships of the migrant workers who build the infrastructure of Oman, a rapidly modernizing country rich in oil and natural gas. These men, predominantly from East Africa and the Indian subcontinent, communicate using widely available, low-cost smartphones that help them cope with the social isolation they face while living in camps for years. As quickly as new friends are made, others disappear without a trace, never to be heard from again: workers are deported for various reasons, or shuffled around to different camps throughout the region.
The book includes an essay by Jason Koxvold entitled Raw Material: Capital and Exploitation at the Neoliberal Frontier, which lays out the work in the context of the history of representation of labour in art.
Specifications: Gnomic Book ・ 2020 ・ Softcover ・ 24 x 32 cm. / 136 pages ・ English ・ 978-1-7338877-2-4
