XYZ: International Toilet Art Week
Art, Public Space & Global Sanitation Awareness
Project Type
Commissioned Thematic Exhibition / Public Art Programme
Time & Location
2022
Chaozhou, China
Commissioned by
World Toilet Organization (WTO)
Organised & Curated by
Escape Art Club (EAC)
Role
Curator
Cai Boxuan (Boosen Tsai)
Background
、The International Toilet Art Week was a commissioned cultural programme initiated by the World Toilet Organization, a Singapore-based international NGO dedicated to sanitation advocacy, public health, and dignity.
While sanitation is often discussed through policy, infrastructure, or statistics, it remains culturally sensitive and socially marginalised. The project responded to this gap by using contemporary art as a medium to reframe toilets and sanitation as issues of public space, human rights, gender, environment, and everyday dignity.
Description
Curated under the working title “XYZ”, the exhibition positioned the toilet as both a physical site and a symbolic coordinate—where private bodily needs intersect with public systems, social inequality, and urban planning.
The programme brought together artists working across installation, photography, text-based works, and participatory practices. By situating artworks within accessible exhibition contexts, the project encouraged audiences to confront sanitation not as a taboo topic, but as a shared civic concern embedded in daily life.
In parallel, public discussions and educational materials were developed to expand the conversation beyond the gallery, aligning artistic expression with global sanitation advocacy.
Outcomes
-
Successfully delivered a commissioned international thematic exhibition
-
Translated global sanitation issues into accessible cultural narratives
-
Expanded public engagement with sanitation through art and discussion
-
Strengthened collaboration between an international NGO and a local art collective
-
Demonstrated art’s role in addressing socially sensitive global issues