In Frequencies We Cannot Name: Language, Sound, Silence

Language as a carrier of power and history

The exhibition "In Frequencies We Cannot Name: Language, Sound, Silence" at De Brakke Grond in Amsterdam begins with a single core idea: language is never neutral. It bears the marks of power, colonial history, and the limits of translation. The exhibition explores what happens when cultural expression is not directly understood—and why this lack of understanding can actually be valuable.

Opacity as a conscious choice

The curatorial framework builds on the theories of thinkers like Édouard Glissant and Rizvana Bradley. Glissant's concept of opacity describes the right to remain opaque—not to need to be fully explained or translated. Bradley's anteaesthetics challenges Western aesthetic norms and recognizes Black and Indigenous cultural expressions as fully-fledged, autonomous systems of meaning.

15 artists from different contexts

Curator Rita Ouédraogo brings together works by 15 artists, including Otobong Nkanga , Sammy Baloji , Saddie Choua , and Pascale Marthine Tayou . The exhibition is the second in a three-year collaboration between De Brakke Grond and Mu.ZEE, the museum for art in Belgium from 1880 to tomorrow in Ostend.

Public program surrounding the exhibition

Three public programs will take place throughout the exhibition. Artists will delve deeper into their work and engage in dialogue with the local context. Interested? Visit the Brakke Grond website for more information about the program and tickets.