The Materialization of Collective Memory: Trauma and History in Contemporary Art
We are shaped by our memories and experiences. Our identity—who we are—largely depends on what we've experienced and how we remember these experiences. Notably, our personal memories don't exist in isolation. As sociologist Maurice Halbwachs 莫里斯·哈尔巴赫斯proposed in his theory of "collective memory": our memories are constructed within social environments. For instance, our memories of significant events contain both personal elements and are influenced by media coverage and collective discussions.
This is why certain objects, places, or symbols can evoke our shared memories. Consider how some items immediately transport us back to specific historical moments when we encounter them.
Xu Bing: The Materialization of Collective Trauma
First, I'd like to introduce Chinese artist Xu Bing's work, "Where Does the Dust Itself collect?" This piece originated from the artist's firsthand experience of the 9/11 attacks.
In his artwork, he blew the 9/11 dust into the exhibition hall, which settled on the ground forming two lines of Zen poetry: "As there is nothing from the first, where does the dust itself collect?" this 句子is one of the central tenets of Buddhism: the impermanence无常，暂时性 of life and the body.
The exhibition space was covered with an even, frost-like thin layer of dust, presenting a quiet, solemn beauty while simultaneously同时地 evoking a deep sense of pain and tension.
I believe it's precisely his material choice—actual 9/11 dust—and the collective traumatic memory of the event itself that gives this work such powerful resonance and persuasiveness说服力. The dust is no longer merely an ordinary material but becomes a direct carrier of collective memory. When viewers face this work, they aren't simply looking at an artwork but are directly dialoguing with fragments of history, establishing an immediate connection with that traumatic event.
Doris Salcedo: Absence in Objects
Regarding responses to collective memory, I'm also reminded of Colombian artist Doris Salcedo. Her installation "Atrabiliarios" (1992-2004) was created in response to state-caused disappearances and the unbearable难以忍受的 conditions women had to endure during imprisonment and disappearance:
• She embedded嵌入 shoes of the disappeared into walls, covering them with translucent半透明的 animal membrane膜 and stitching them with surgical thread. • These shoes are mostly women's, silently preserved but actually serving as evidence of violence, disappearance, and injustice. • Viewers see not just shoes, but the people who once wore them—they are no longer present, yet their traces remain.
The Gaps in Memory
• Salcedo doesn't directly present the individuals but emphasizes their existence through absence. •
Benjamin's Angel of History: A Gaze Toward the Past
When I contemplate the works of Xu Bing and Salcedo, I'm reminded of German philosopher Walter Benjamin's concept of the "Angel of History." This represents his unique understanding of historical progression.
In his commentary on Paul Klee's painting "Angelus Novus," he described an angel:
"His face is turned toward the past, gazing at the ruins of history. He wants to stop and repair those broken things, but the storm of progress pushes him continuously forward."
The angel sees the continuously accumulating ruins of the past and wants to stop to repair them, but the force of "progress," like a storm, pushes him forward, unable to turn back. This expresses that historical development isn't truly progress but is accompanied by disaster and destruction.
I think these artists, like the Angel of History, gaze at the ruins of history, attempting to give new meaning to these fragments through art. And we, as viewers, also establish connections with history and memory through this viewing experience.
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These artists' works create a cycle: artists transform collective memory into tangible works, and we as viewers understand these works through our own experiences. Thus, art becomes a place for ongoing dialogue between personal and collective memory.
These explorations of memory in contemporary art can be seen as attempts to counter what Benjamin called the "storm of progress"—in the constantly advancing flow of time, artists strive to capture, preserve, and reconstruct memory fragments that would otherwise be forgotten. And as we engage with these works, carrying our own memories and experiences, we are actually participating in this process of memory reconstruction, while simultaneously reexamining and reconstructing ourselves.
Thank you all.
实际上这件作品并非谈9.11事件本身，而是在探讨精神空间与物质空间的关系。到底什么是更永恒，更强大的。今天的人类需要认真、平静的重新思考那些已经变得生疏，但却是最基本且重要的问题——什么是需要崇尚和追求的？什么是真正的力量？宗教在哪？不同教义、族群共存和相互尊重的原点在哪？
This artwork is not about the 9/11 event itself, but rather an exploration of the relationship between spiritual space and physical space. What is truly eternal? What holds greater power? Today, humanity must seriously and calmly reconsider the fundamental yet increasingly unfamiliar questions that are of utmost importance—what should we revere and pursue? What is true strength? Where does religion stand? Where is the starting point for coexistence and mutual respect among different faiths and ethnic groups?
这，不是抽象的玄奥的学者式的命题，而是与每一个人活着相关联的、最基本的事情，否则人类就会出问题。
These are not abstract, esoteric questions reserved for scholars; they are fundamental concerns directly related to every individual’s existence. If we fail to address them, humanity will inevitably face serious problems.