Singing Mother Earth

Participating artists: Aylan Couchie, Cho Eunji, Cha Kiyoul, Choi Wonkyoung, Dee Barsy, Edgar Heap of Birds, Heo Suyoung, Hong Lee Hyunsook, Joi T. Arcand, Kim Jihyeon, Kim Mijin, Kim Soonim, Kim Woojin, Kim Heedong, Mun Byoungtak, Park Bonggi, Parang, Park Wunggyu, Shin Sujin, You Myunggyun, Lee Seungtaek, Jung Manyoung, Yoo Kibbeum, Lee Woongryeol, Terralingua.

To connect to nature, the non-human
What if we were to liken the world we live in to an enclosure? The human world, with its well-organized nature, the triumphs of civilization, the functioning of laws and systems, wouldn’t be not so different from the fenced-in farm. Singing Mother Earth is an exhibition that contemplates coexistence with the non-human beings living beyond the fence and poses questions such as: “Can we halt the expansion of the human world and engage with the non-human world?” and “How can we break free from anthropocentric and closed notions?” In response to such questions, the exhibition focuses on language. Language can be seen as the core of thought, shaping individual ideas, collective consciousness, and being passed down through generations. Each language encapsulates distinct ways of thinking, a perspective known as “linguistic relativity” in linguistics. Under the recognition that this exhibition is closely connected to language and thought, it attempts to deconstruct anthropocentric thinking through the languages that have organically established relationships with nature.

The language the exhibition focuses on is the languages of indigenous peoples and artists. It presupposes that the languages of indigenous peoples, who are deeply connected to the land, and the languages of artists, who have explored natural ecology in ways that transcend societal norms, contain rich clues and unique thought systems that sensitize, infer, and imagine the symbols of the non-human nature. For instance, the Potawatomi, a Native American tribe in North America, distinguish between animate and inanimate entities when forming sentences, categorizing things commonly perceived as inanimate, such as rocks, soil, and earth, as animate beings. Another tribe, the Kutenai, lacks vocabulary to denote ownership of nature in their language. In their culture, natural resources like land, forests, and trees are shared assets, and the expression of “mine” doesn’t exist for them.

Meanwhile, the works of the artists who have explored nature and ecology in progressive ways that transcend societal norms inherently contain delicate sensibilities and a rich imagination toward the non-human. Most of these works are expressed through the language of art, utilizing elements such as images, qualities, sounds, gestures, and rhythms. To understand the messages embedded in the artworks, the audience must collectively employ intuition, senses, and cognition as a whole. This can serve as a form of training to comprehend various modes of communication outside the conceptual human language system. Additionally, the endeavor to interpret the symbols of the non-human nature expressed through Eco Art could have a positive effect on cultivating a broader perspective and sensitivity toward nature.

Unfortunately, a significant number of indigenous languages around the world are currently facing the threat of extinction. According to data from Ethnologue, a resource for world language statistics, it is projected that approximately 42 percent of indigenous languages, constituting a substantial portion of all languages globally, will disappear within this century. Furthermore, humanity is confronted with a severe linguistic imbalance, where a mere fraction of dominant languages—less than ten percent—is spoken by the majority of the world’s population. This imbalance has a negative impact, contributing to the homogenization of human perspectives and worldviews.

Every being born from the Mother Earth possesses its own language. Language is intricately intertwined with the speaker’s identity, culture, spirit, environment, and ecosystem, whether directly or indirectly. The extinction of languages signifies not only the loss of a tool for communication but also the disruption of the interconnected world in which these languages have thrived. When we embrace the diverse languages of humans and non-humans in their unique ways and sensually experience them, we can all become interconnected. Through the lens of the languages of indigenous peoples and artists, the exhibition endeavors to move towards a vibrant world. The flexible expansion of thought through these languages will ignite encounters with non-human entities beyond the enclosure, offering new possibilities to transcend the crisis of the Anthropocene.