texts "Towards Alternative Languages"
We rely on language to be able to understand society and communicate
with each other. Language is considered one of the most
important factors in mutual understanding. Needless to say, art
is not an exception to this. However, we might have to reconsider
its validity now. Language is indeed very useful for making society
convenient, but it includes limits to a certain extent for understanding
this complicated world. The moment we define something with
words, it becomes divided from anything else. It seems that words
cause conflicts with each other at the same time. For example, if
we define somewhere as "here", then anywhere but here will appear
as "there". And the gap between here and there has been cut off
from each other. Even if it was invisible, such an interface generates
opposite concepts. Society is highly complicated and difficult to
recognize just by seeing sections, because everything deeply relates
to each other and it is impossible to exist as an isolated unit.
As I said, language plays an important role in art. Since language is
inseparable from the idea or the concept, art cannot escape from
linguistics and semantics. Therefore, art can appear as conceptualized
and philosophized. However, is this really true? We might
weaken the potential of art by means of language. Art itself must
have proper logic and can be considered to be "Art for Art's Sake",
like Clement Greenberg once said. I would like to reconsider the dynamics
of art and focus on it as visual language. In reality, the world
is full of moments we cannot verbalize, and I want to perceive such
moments with visual language. And with audible language, too.
Naoshi OKURA, 2008