Group Exhibition: 39 Footnotes

Presented as the inaugural exhibition at Accent Sisters’ new location in NYC’s Union Square, 39 Footnotes is a spatial verse co-authored by 28 visual artists, novelists, writers, musicians, filmmakers, furniture designers, and other creative minds from various media, alongside the three project initiators—Qianfan Gu, Jiaoyang Li, and Na Zhong. The opening reception will take place on February 13th from 6 to 8 PM, featuring special Qinghong rice wine served by Fuzhou Sisters.

39 Footnotes explores the multifaceted meaning of “mother tongue,” both in our daily lives and creative practices: Mother tongue can be a non-language; it can even stand in opposition to language itself. So deeply intertwined with our being, it sometimes defies expression through ready-made words and insists on speaking through a reimagined, reinvented silence. Mother tongue is a certain gravity—a force that imposes itself upon us without permission or awareness. It grounds and roots us in places we cherish but also holds us back when we long to leap or soar. Mother tongue is a wearable IP, a code lost in dissipation, a familiar unfamiliarity. It is a uterus that shapes a persona or nurtures a sword. Mother tongue is a portable palace to run riot in.

Starting from Feb. 23 to Jun. 1, the exhibition comes with a screening program curated by Ruoyun Chen, featuring films such as Ann Hui’s 詩 Elegies (2023).

Additionally, a newly commissioned performance by artist Ye’ela Wilschanski, Setting | A Performance in a Bookstore, will mark the show’s closing on March 30th.