Harvard Exhibition 'Knowledge Is Myth' Pits Four Artists Against Western Epistemologies
A new exhibition at Harvard titled "Knowledge Is Myth: Chimeric Continuities" explores the interplay between knowledge and mythology, featuring artists such as Enzo Camacho, Ami Lien, Candice Lin, Cole Lu, and the duo Ayoung Yu & Nicholas Oh. Opening in 2023, the exhibit challenges colonial narratives by focusing on diasporic and hybrid identities. It draws inspiration from Sir Francis Bacon's famous assertion about knowledge dating back to the late 1500s. The work resonates with decolonial theorists like Walter Mignolo and Catherine E. Walsh, advocating for a broader understanding that includes diverse cultural narratives and mythological perspectives.
Key facts
- 'Knowledge Is Myth: Chimeric Continuities' is on view at Harvard
- Four artists and collectives participate: Enzo Camacho & Ami Lien, Candice Lin, Cole Lu, and Ayoung Yu & Nicholas Oh
- The title plays on 'knowledge is power,' popularized by Sir Francis Bacon in the late sixteenth century
- Works address colonial hierarchies separating human and nonhuman realms
- The exhibition draws on diasporic, chimeric, and hybrid subjectivities
- Decolonial writers Walter Mignolo and Catherine E. Walsh inform the show's framing of an ecology of knowledge
- Non-Western epistemologies and storytelling are central to the exhibition's argument
- The show complicates binaries of mythology and knowledge
Entities
Artists
- Enzo Camacho
- Ami Lien
- Candice Lin
- Cole Lu
- Ayoung Yu
- Nicholas Oh
- Sir Francis Bacon
- Walter Mignolo
- Catherine E. Walsh
Institutions
- Harvard University
Locations
- Cambridge
- United States