Asynchronous Singing

Participating artists: Ko Kwonkeum, Kim Sunhwan, Kim Eunseol, Kim Eunseol, Dreaming Barrierfree, laumkon, Shin Suhang×Shin Hyunchae, Oro Minkyung, Dayoung Yu, archetypes (Jiwon Lee), Jeon Dongmin, Han Younghyun, Finnegan Shannon

Hyehwa station and Marronnier Park, adjacent to ARKO Art Center, are frequently populated by individuals with disabilities advocating for their visibility and rights. Their voices, which may seem divergent from “norms,” reach us as songs or a chorus in the museum or wherever we are now.

Inspired by their songs, the Asynchronous Singing exhibition encourages collaborative contemplation on how individuals can listen to, observe, and articulate the voices that belong to different physical entities. Without hastily committing to being inclusive of everyone, the exhibition strives to acknowledge and respect each person’s unique sense of time and pace. 

This exhibition refrains from categorizing individuals into two distinct groups, such as people with and without disabilities, and it does not seek to elicit sympathy or grant privilege to bodies perceived as “different.” Rather than leaning on terms like “disability art” or “barrier-free,” Asynchronous Singing introduces and explores works that nurture their unique and diverse languages. It aspires to serve as a space where participants recognize each individual’s different rhythms and flows, along with the potential intersections therein.

Asynchronous Singing reveals concerns regarding how a museum addresses accessibility and translates its ideas into action, along with the conflicts that arose during the process of realization. It also avoids drawing a well-polished conclusion. Using this exhibition as a starting point, we anticipate transforming it into an opportunity for a paradigm shift—listening with the eyes and seeing with the ears.

Furthermore, the exhibition will feature programs that invite those who voice themselves through singing and dancing at Marronnier Park as participants of the public museum and autonomous creators. ARKO Art Center aims to integrate wide-ranging voices and expressions through these initiatives.

In an era where hatred and criticism towards “differences” prevail, fostering a commitment to enhancing accessibility for collective well-being necessitates reflecting on one’s willingness to embrace the intersectionality of each individual’s pace and temporal reality. Thus, Asynchronous Singing is far from the traditional, neatly packaged presentation often expected from museum exhibits and does not present definitive resolutions that precisely encapsulate both the theme and the artworks. Instead, the exhibition delves into the artists’ independent and distinctive languages, even when they may sound unrefined and discordant. It also sheds light on those who care for and facilitate connections between these artists and the world. Ultimately, the exhibition argues that embracing and understanding diverse lives must precede efforts to promote acceptance of everyone’s differences.