Harmony, Not Sameness
Poster transcript
Living together without becoming the same. Different words. Distinct histories. Shared attention.
Historical background
The classical phrase is well known from the Analects: “The exemplary person seeks harmony but not sameness.” The exhibition does not use it to romanticize consensus. Harmony requires work, and differences of power do not disappear because people share a table.
Curator’s interpretation
This phrase gives the exhibition an ethical horizon. Coexistence does not require assimilation. Difference should not be converted too quickly into hierarchy, suspicion, or stereotype. A shared cup is meaningful only when the people around it are allowed to remain different.
Artwork information
Wen Ying, 和而不同 / Harmony Without Sameness, calligraphy, 13 3/4 × 27 1/2 in., 2026, Edmonton.