Poster image of 《Voiceless Voice》 ©CR CollectiveCR Collective presents a solo exhibition 《Voiceless Voice》 by KIM Woojin, from
February 13 to March 29.
Artist KIM Woojin has been conducting the ‘Memories
Project,’ focusing on how a nation, society, or ethnic group enforces language
through ideological mechanisms to maintain power and order—particularly within
private and everyday realms such as schools and home education. While
participating in residency programs across Asia, she has continued to research
language extinction by interviewing various individuals and collecting related
materials on similar social phenomena occurring in these regions.
Through this exhibition, KIM Woojin
cautiously urges the world to communicate and expand mutual understanding
through diverse languages. This exhibition marks the closing of one chapter of
the ‘Memories Project’ and its expansion into a new phase.
KIM Woojin,
And, I decide to make a short play – part U, 2024 ©CR CollectiveAs she embarked on this project, she made a
conscious effort to question herself and reflect on the outside world
carefully, ensuring she did not become consumed by ideology. Her efforts can be
glimpsed in this exhibition through Mind Map and Collapsing Sign,
as well as the ‘The Prelude of the Perfect Ending’ series, which archives
interview materials and idea networks collected throughout her research.
Additionally, the exhibition space is
transformed into a theater with drawn curtains, where three works are screened
in sequence: Korean Dictation Test_You Will Have to Answer the
Questions You Hear (2-channel version), And, I Decide to
Make a Short Play – Part U (hereafter Part U), and The
Ghost, Sea, and Möbius Loop.
KIM Woojin,
And, I decide to make a short play – part U, 2024 ©CR CollectiveAmong them, her latest work, Part
U is a two-channel video that traces the vanishing Okinawan language,
Uchinaaguchi, shedding light on language extinction and historical oppression.
Within a theatrical stage setting, actors appear as anonymous guests, while the
narrator is replaced by the actual voices of interviewees. As the video
progresses, it gradually shifts to black and white, visually depicting the
process of language extinction.
"While researching and collecting
interviews on Ainu, Uchinaaguchi, and other Asian languages, including Jeju
language, I constantly questioned whether I could ever truly understand their
stories, histories, and present realities. By exposing the theatrical structure
of the stage and performance, I aimed to reveal how limited our perceived world
is—and how much we fail to recognize beyond it. Due to this ignorance or
indifference, entire worlds are disappearing." (From the artist's notes)
Ji Yeon Lee has been working as an editor for the media art and culture channel AliceOn since 2021 and worked as an exhibition coordinator at samuso (now Space for Contemporary Art) from 2021 to 2023.
