HAELY CHANG, Jane and Raphael Bernstein Associate Curator of East Asian Art
Hood Quarterly, spring 2025
Attitude of Coexistence: Non-Humans in East Asian Art is the inaugural collection-based exhibition at the Hood Museum focused on East Asian art from the past and present. However, this exhibition transcends a straightforward presentation of Asian art at Dartmouth to serve as a response to this critical question: Why does Asian art matter in contemporary society? I will explore this response through the three key themes of the exhibition: non-human, attitude, and Asian art.
The term non-human refers to a broad spectrum of entities outside the human race, including spirits, mythological beings, elements of nature, and animals. While the term originated in the late 19th century, its significance has grown in recent years as we enter the Anthropocene—a geological epoch defined by humankind's profound impact on the Earth's environment.1 Paradoxically, this focus on human influence foregrounds the presence of non-human entities as well, as our actions continue to provoke unpredictable and uncontrollable responses from them. For instance, global warming continually challenges our understanding of seasons and weather patterns, altering the way we perceive and interact with the natural world. The COVID-19 pandemic profoundly reshaped our lives, driven by an invisible virus spreading through the air. Meanwhile, animals have become closer companions during the rise of pet culture even as industrial farming practices raise ethical questions about the balance between human needs and animal rights.2 Humanity is also always creating new forms of non-humans, as machines and artificial intelligence increasingly influence our behaviors and thoughts.3 These examples of non-human impact challenge long-held assumptions about human superiority over other species and demand a closer examination of how we can coexist with non-human entities in a more sustainable manner.
Attitude of Coexistence does not seek to provide definitive solutions to the challenges posed by the Anthropocene. Instead, it addresses a more fundamental question: How can we rebuild relationships and restore balance in our coexistence with non-humans? This is where attitude becomes central. For viewers grappling with the task of redefining their relationships with non-human entities in the contemporary world, the exhibition offers a space for growth. These artworks encourage audiences to envision and practice ethical, ecological, and collaborative relationships with non-human subjects— relationships rooted in connection rather than separation, and in respect rather than exploitation.
Art has long been recognized as one of the most powerful tools for challenging anthropocentric perspectives, liberating artists and viewers alike from the rigid reasoning and logic that often separates humans from their non-human counterparts.4 Asian art holds a distinctive place in this creative endeavor, due in large part to its extensive and nuanced portrayal of non-human subjects throughout history and in contemporary works. These artworks reveal the profound imagination of their creators, who depict the worlds of gods, nature, and animals as inseparably intertwined with human existence. The representation of non-human subjects in Asian art reflects a diverse spectrum of attitudes—ranging from respect and reverence to fear and affection—that offers rich insights into how we might shape our relationships with non-humans
in the present time.
Thus, the goal of Attitude of Coexistence extends beyond a historical survey or an analysis of artistic styles in Asia. Instead, it is intended to serve as a forum to mediate attitudes toward non-human subjects in Asia, bridging past and present and engaging with contemporary perspectives on coexistence.
Attitude of Coexistence: Non-Humans in East Asian Art (on view November 16, 2024–June 29, 2025) is organized by the Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth, and generously supported by the Philip Fowler 1927 Memorial Fund.
NOTES
1. Paul J. Crutzen and Eugene F. Stoermer, "The Anthropocene," Global Change Newsletter 41 (2000): 17–18.
2. Cary Wolfe, Animal Rites: American Culture, the Discourse of Species, and Posthumanist Theory (Chicago: University of Chicago Press), 5–7.
3. Donna Haraway, "A Manifesto for Cyborgs: Science, Technology, and Socialist Feminism for the 1980s," Socialist Review 80, vol. 15, no. 2 (March–April 1985): 65–107.
4. Sanna Karkulehto, Aino-Kaisa Koistinen, Karoliina Lummaa, and Essi Varis, "Reconfiguring Human, Nonhuman and Posthuman: Striving for More Ethical Cohabitation," in Reconfiguring Human, Nonhuman and Posthuman in Literature and Culture, eds. Sanna Karkulehto, Aino-Kaisa Koistinen, and Essi Varis (New York: Routledge, 2020), 5–9; Neil Badmington, Posthumanism (Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave, 2000), 3–4.