Bark Hard

Unspoken to Spoken

Newcomer Society is unveiling “Barkhard – Speaking the Unspeakable” at Dutch Design Week 2024. This exhibition will feature emerging artists from South Korea, Taiwan, the USA, and Austria, presenting familiar yet often overlooked issues through a multicultural lens. Instead of providing solutions, the exhibition aims to highlight significant questions, stimulate discourse, and encourage personal interpretation, enriching the artistic dialogue within Dutch design. Key questions include: ‘How does contemporary tech-fetishism define human production?’, ‘How is the value of life determined by national disaster policies?’, ‘How do Islamic prayer practices interact with identity?’, ‘How does technological politics affect personal and democratic rights in the age of surveillance capitalism?’, and ‘How do consumption habits blur the line between authenticity and imitation?’ These queries align with Zygmunt Bauman’s theory of “Liquid Modernity,” exploring social disruption and fluidity. The exhibition will include various forms like digital installations, chocolate setups, textile pieces, and plastic chandeliers, with the grant enabling high-quality production and communication.