They Do Not Understand Each Other draws its title from the artwork by Tsubasa Kato of two figures performing a task together while not comprehending a word uttered by the other. Set on the Tsushima islands that lie between Korea and Japan, their successful cooperation appears to have been achieved, if not by virtue of good humour and patience, then by an understanding that exceeds the plane of language. 

Presenting artworks from the National Museum of Art, Osaka (NMAO) and the Singapore Art Museum (SAM), as well as new commissions, the exhibition considers the negotiations and expectations of culture. After all, if the premise of culture is representation, then the promise of cultural exchange — one might reasonably suppose—is understanding. 

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