Travelling without a Ticket

In the Interstices of Language

“The feeling of being in a foreign country is like driving without a ticket. It is a feeling of not belonging”.* Inspired by this metaphor, which impressively conveys a sense of the interplay between language and belonging, the exhibition project explores the extent to which culture is a contextualisation of language and how language in turn transforms culture. Language is not something fixed, it moves and produces ever new images and spaces. It affords the possibility of bringing the interstices between people to life and opening up new ways of acting. The emergence of more diverse cultural contexts in 21st century societies has set in motion a process of transformation in language-based communication. However, this does not take place without lengthy processes of negotiation. The exhibition presents a range of strategies and methods that artists use to address different aspects of language.

*Sara Bf, „Mein Frau-Sein wurde hier zur größten Schwierigkeit meines Lebens”, Kollektiv Polylog (eds): Das ist meine Geschichte. Frauen im Gespräch über Flucht und Ankommen, Münster, 2019.