Untitled (from the series Linguistic Families â€?Recaptured Languages) 2022

Curator: Looking at this, it's like a stark winter tree, but somehow also tropical. Editor: Indeed. This is a piece from Daiara Tukano's series, "Linguistic Families—Recaptured Languages," currently held at the Harvard Art Museums. A seemingly simple ink drawing. Curator: The name intrigues me. Is it about language influencing how we perceive nature, perhaps? Like, if you name something differently, do you see it differently? Editor: It makes me consider the very labor of translating language into visual form. Ink, paper, a hand moving to make a tree—it all speaks of process and the careful articulation of meaning. Curator: I love the vulnerability in that directness. No frills, just the essence of a tree. Editor: There’s a definite economy in the artist's choice of materials, highlighting the core structure. Makes you think about what is essential for communication. Curator: Right. Stripped bare, the tree feels like a reminder of resilience. Editor: And a testament to the tangible effort of preserving cultural memory, even in the face of simplification.