A major new exhibition opening next month at London’s Wellcome Collection will challenge conventional perspectives on deafness and sign language through provocative artworks that blend humour with social commentary.
‘1880 THAT’, running from 17 April to 16 November 2025, marks the first major London exhibition by Berlin-based artists Christine Sun Kim and Thomas Mader, who have collaborated for over a decade on works exploring the complexities of communication and the intersections between social interaction and exclusion.
The exhibition title references a pivotal moment in Deaf history – the 1880 Milan conference where 164 delegates (only one of whom was Deaf) voted to prioritise oral education over sign language in schools for deaf children. This decision ushered in a century of suppression of sign language teaching, leading to widespread stigmatisation and diminished opportunities for Deaf people across multiple professions.
Kim, who was born Deaf, and Mader use their collaborative practice to highlight the ongoing impact of these policies, while inviting visitors to imagine new possibilities for understanding between signed and spoken languages.
“The exhibition seeks to challenge a medical perspective of deafness as something that needs to be cured,” says Laurie Britton Newell, the exhibition’s curator. “Instead, it examines language as a home – an essential place of belonging – and what it means when that language is under threat.”
Provocative Installations with a Purpose
Among the exhibition’s most striking works is ‘Look Up My Nose’, a large hanging fibreglass sculpture modelled on the noses of Alexander Graham Bell and his father Melville Bell – both vocal advocates for teaching deaf people to speak rather than sign. The piece is designed to produce vibrations visitors can feel while standing beneath it, mocking notions of superiority and critiquing Bell’s role in suppressing sign language.
Another installation, ‘NOT CROSS’, addresses the disconnection between words and body language in spoken and signed communication through a large brick wall with text. The piece illustrates the frustration of not being understood – the feeling of talking to a proverbial “brick wall.”
Particularly attention-grabbing will be ‘ATTENTION’, featuring two absurdly oversized inflatable arms that depict the American Sign Language (ASL) sign for attracting attention. The installation points to historical and contemporary sites of policymaking, underscoring the ongoing fight for recognition by the Deaf community.
The exhibition will also feature three new video works exploring themes of linguistic vulnerability, cultural resistance, and shifting perspectives.
Accessibility at the Forefront
True to its theme, ‘1880 THAT’ has been designed with accessibility as a primary consideration. All works in the exhibition will be accompanied by British Sign Language (BSL) interpretation, and a range of accessibility features will be available, including BSL tours, audio-described tours, and relaxed opening sessions.
An extensive public programme will accompany the exhibition later this summer, including ‘Finger Talk’, a British Sign Language film installation by artist and curator Cathy Mager that explores the shared language, heritage and cultural identity of the British Deaf community.
Discussions, workshops and performances co-curated by Mager and a group of Deaf collaborators will challenge common perceptions by shifting the narrative from “hearing loss” to “Deaf gain” – a concept that focuses on the unique perspectives and abilities that come with Deaf culture, rather than viewing deafness as a deficit.
‘1880 THAT’ opens at Wellcome Collection on 17 April 2025, with free admission.
