The following text is the fourth in a line of entries into Oksana Yushko's artist diary, a format we introduced to share more insights of her and Arthur Bondar's stay hosted by ARS BALTICA and the Nordkolleg Rendsburg. We hope you enjoy the read!
Language is an architect of worlds, shaping perception through words and meanings. As rivers divide countries, so language can divide or unite, as a bridge built not of stones but of subtexts.
"The limits of my language mean the limits of my world," wrote Ludwig Wittgenstein. Each language we speak grants us another personality to inhabit, expanding the boundaries of our minds shaped by elusive labels, creating worlds with hidden meanings. Gendered grammar guides our perceptions, influencing our views of the strength, softness or neutrality of everything around us.
Consider the bridge, named differently in every language: a masculine 'мост' in Russian, strong and tough; a feminine Brücke in German, beautiful and elegant; a neutral bridge in English, metaphorical and universal. Like the monumental Rendsburg Bridge, which we pass every week on our multiple travels, language connects not only lands but also feelings, strength with beauty, practicality with poetry.
When we learn new languages, we understand this, we become builders of empathy, we build new linguistic bridges to connect different worlds, we cross borders, we enrich our souls with every new word and phrase we learn. We try not to 'in unserem eigenen Saft schmoren'.
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For her current artistic research project "Where have all the birds gone?" exploring the links between migratory birds, language, territory and conflict, Oksana Yushko is looking for different global/local stories and possible collaborations with people willing to share their experiences on these topics. Scientists, ornithologists, birdwatchers, enthusiasts, socio-linguists, historians, artists and anyone interested in telling their stories are invited to write to oksanayushko[at]gmail.com.
