My Mother’s Tongue

Joi T. Arcand, Insoon Ha, Mohau Modisakeng, Baljit Singh, and James Webb

Curated by Musha Neluheni, AGM TD Programming Curator

Losing the language means losing the culture. We need to know who we are because it makes a difference in who our children are. —Dottie LeBeau, Lakota Eder and Educator

Throughout the centuries, from early colonialism to communist Eastern Europe and apartheid South Africa, the powers that be banned Indigenous languages, stole land, and muted cultural identity. The history, language, and art of the colonized were usurped by what the aggressors deemed as politically and culturally appropriate, thus silencing any form of dissent. This led to a sense of mourning; an experience of loss and grief of not just the physical self, but also the spiritual self.

My Mother’s Tongue looks at this silencing of different cultures, from South Korea and Canada through to South Africa and Pakistan. Through different artistic mediums, it exposes the exploitation and incarceration of people’s multi-dimensional identities. The Oxford Dictionary describes the “mother tongue” as the language that a person has grown up speaking from early childhood. This language is passed down through generations of a culture’s history, ensuring its survival. The works in this exhibition explore how one navigates loss, disconnection, anger, and pain after their mother tongue has been silenced. This violent act is a recurring practice throughout history and continues to this day. Featuring works by Joi T. Arcand, Insoon Ha, Mohau Modisakeng, Baljit Singh, and James Webb, My Mother’s Tongue gives a platform to these voices that once were silenced, and a chance to reawaken them through art.