Language is never neutral. Words can both unite and devide us. They shape how we think, feel and act. They carry our most intimate confessions and our loudest demands, yet can just as easily conceal, exclude or manipulate. Language can soothe or wound, inspire care or resistance, or serve as an instrument of control. It Goes Without Saying explores this shifting terrain, tracing how language moves between private and public, from the therapeutic to the political, from whispered exchanges to the roar of collective protest.

The exhibition brings together sculptures, drawings, installations and videos that stretch the possibilities of speech, writing, sign languages and symbols. The works question the authority of the dictionary and explore alternative forms of expression. Where words fall short, imagination is required. In Western societies, for example, the capacity for collective mourning has weakened: grief is often kept private, and the language to express it publicly has largely disappeared. Or consider today’s geopolitical climate, where a single term such as “genocide” is remarkably difficult to bring to the lips.

Language is not a fixed code but a fragile, living, and contested field. This becomes particularly evident in experiences of displacement, where the absence or partial knowledge of a mother tongue makes navigating cultural, historical and social landscapes challenging. Translation becomes a bridge across worlds and identities. In these moments, language is not only a tool for communication but also a means to acknowledge the past, anchor oneself in the present, and imagine possible futures.

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With works by Ode de Kort, Uta Eisenreich, Nokukhanya Langa, Sandrine Morgante, Yoshua Okón & Juan Obando, Ahilan Ratnamohan and Lore Smolders.

The title of the exhibition, “It Goes Without Saying,” is taken from the work of Uta Eisenreich.