To Be—Named | PUEBLA
ONE MILLION @ MÉXICO
Exhibition: Aug 1 - Sep 22, 2024
Location: Galería de Arte del Palacio Municipal de Puebla
Curator: Greta de León
The use of language has become a critical point about who has the right to define identities and realities. "Nombrar_" offers an inclusive space designed to explore and value the diverse practices of naming, recognizing the diversity of perspectives and modes of expression, with a particular emphasis on the original languages of Mexico and promoting their recognition and revitalization.
"Nombrar_" celebrates and supports naming practices as acts of creativity and empowerment. These practices not only describe the world but actively shape it, influencing social interactions and cultural perceptions.
Naming acts have a creative capacity; they shape the interactions and worlds in which they are integrated. Our objective is to foster constructive discussions about the dynamics of power and the consequences of who defines whom through naming and self-naming, highlighting the diversity and experiences of Mexico's original peoples.
By recognizing and making these practices visible, "Nombrar__Notokayotia__Nasa Katyi__" contributes to the revitalization and appreciation of the identity and cultural heritage of original peoples. Through the recognition of their languages and their ways of self-naming, a deeper respect is promoted and a broader understanding of their ancestral knowledge and values is achieved.
This exhibition seeks to showcase the diversity of naming practices while celebrating the revitalization practices of indigenous languages, providing a space for these voices to be heard and valued in all their richness. Emphasizing the importance of self-naming as an act of empowerment and self-determination, self-denominations are crucial for raising public awareness about the respect and interest that indigenous peoples deserve, combating discrimination and racism.
Dear G. (QUICK RESPONSE - ITEM 6179)
Concept and Text: Uli Aigner
Video and editing: Michal Kosakowski
Photo: Tom McCallie
Germany 2021, 6 min 29 sec, HD, color © 2021 | Uli Aigner
10 porcelain vessels - item 6174 to item 6183 from ONE MILLION - provide a quick insight into the circumstances of their existence. Thanks to QR codes in the porcelain, the archaeological search for traces of these 10 objects will be a short one.
The relationship between ANALOG and DIGITAL has not been the only great challenge for us contemporaries since the corona pandemic.
We are born, we reproduce and we find death. An analog timeline, maybe 80-90 years long, to which we are all subject. In contrast, our knowledge is hybrid and deregulated. It contains chaotic traces of information of mankind that, according to the latest research, is around 260,000 years old.
The 4th industrial revolution of our era, which has reached all areas of our lives since the late 1980s, does not follow the analog logic of physical existence: overwritten - our lives and our actions will become like this through digitization.
I am writing 10 letters to 10 people for each of whom I have thrown a coded vessel:
A nature photographer and an artist in New York City, a female manager in México DF, a female glassblower from St. Petersburg, a philosopher and a female filmmaker in Vienna, a friend from Simbach, the best female sculptor in Berlin, a radical composer in Munich and a female world-traveled survivor - these are to whom the ten ONE MILLION hybrids are dedicated.
Each of the 10 porcelain objects is marked by a dark blue QR code and thus provides information about the reason for its existence, which, in addition to the practical use of a porcelain vessel, is also and above all a communicative act.
Uli Aigner, Berlin September 2021
Funded by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media
Funded by the Federal Association of Artists of the Fine Arts
Funded by the Neustart Kultur funding program
