Sounds of Babel

From June 7 to August 10, the Taiwan Contemporary Culture Lab (C-LAB) will present its annual exhibition, Sounds of Babel. With “language” as its central theme, the exhibition examines how our communication medium inspires diverse forms of imagination and discourse. It brings together 22 artists and collectives from nine countries across Asia and Europe, including Taiwan. Taking the symbols, sounds, and meanings embedded in language as the starting point, the participating artists explore the power dynamics inherent in languages and the complex, intractable condition of identity they present.

In January, C-LAB’s Contemporary Art Platform launched its annual program, Heteroglossia-Lecture Performance Gathering, inviting audiences to witness the allure of languages and the aesthetic potential of performance art in a series of lectures on performances and video screenings. In February, the Ministry of Culture held the 2025 National Language and Culture Festival at the C-LAB campus. These events convey the aesthetic qualities and multifaceted appeal of languages, offering visitors an understanding of the cultural value and contemporary significance of languages.

Exploring cultural phenomena and vivid imaginations through “languages”
Expanding on the theme of “languages”, C-LAB’s annual exhibition, Sounds of Babel, is inspired by the parable, Tower of Babel, in which humanity’s attempt to construct a tower to the heavens was thwarted by God, as he introduced different languages among the peoples. The unfinished tower stands as a metaphor for our inability to communicate. The Sounds of Babel exhibition not only highlights the complexity and diversity of languages but also suggests the challenges of communication and the universal condition of unsettled differences.

The artists adopt the innate and extended forms of languages in the exhibition to unveil the complex interactions lurking within languages, comprised of symbols, narratives, imagery, and sound. The exhibition features newly commissioned works by artists Ho Yen-Yen, Steph Huang, Chen Ting-Jung, Candy Bird, and Au Sow-Yee, along with adaptations of existing works by Chang En-Man, CHANG Wen-Hsuan, Chen Fei-Hao, and South Ho Siu-Nam. Additionally, C-LAB invites featured artists at the Venice Biennale, including Anri Sala, Lee Kit, Cinthia Marcelle, and siren eun young jung, to exhibit their works for Taiwanese audiences.

The works by these artists cover a broad spectrum, from the post-WWII construction of national identities, traumatic experiences, narrative reenactment, cultural interpretation, and political propaganda to contemporary issues of ethnic differences and gender identity. Their creations expose the underlying cultural phenomena and contexts in which they developed, as well as the vivid imaginations ignited by a desire for understanding and dialogue.

Transversing linguistic boundaries: achieving dialogue and common ground through the commotion
With “language” as its central theme, C-LAB’s annual exhibition invites audiences to cross linguistic boundaries, re-examining how we use and perceive languages, and uncovering the subtexts and symbolic meanings embedded in narrative. With this exhibition, the curators and artists seek to accompany viewers during a time of intense transformation, marked by geopolitical turmoil, heightened ethnic awareness, and shifting cultural values, amplifying the voices within the artworks and engaging in the commotion as they explore possibilities for dialogue and shared understanding.