Installation view of 《What We Talk About When We See Exhibition》 © SeMA

《What We Talk About When We See Exhibition》 is an exhibition that reflects on the meaning and value of exhibitions and the act of viewing them in an era saturated with visual attractions.

Through newly commissioned works and exhibition-linked programs created by five participating artists (teams) together with visitors, the exhibition examines the ways exhibitions present themselves, the conditions under which we are permitted to view them, and the various forms of relationships that emerge within exhibition spaces.

Furthermore, it proposes modes of documentation that allow viewers to become aware of their own acts of viewing and to leave tangible records of their experiences.


Installation view of 《What We Talk About When We See Exhibition》 © SeMA

Through this process, the exhibition suggests that visitors move beyond the role of passive “audience members” toward that of active “viewers,” discovering this position both individually and collectively with others. It further imagines a loose sense of “we,” in which diverse viewers share and converse through different sensations, emotions, and experiences, collectively generating multilayered memories.

*The exhibition title references Raymond Carver’s short story “What We Talk About When We Talk About Love” (1981).

References