OPEN CALL | LEFT HAND

Palmistry (手相), a traditional Chinese form of divination that provides mystical insights into an individual's fate and personality traits, analyzes the lines on the palms and fingers, symbolizing the left and right hands as Yin (阴) and Yang (阳)—energies analogous to the lunar and solar, darkness and light. Ursula K. Le Guin’s novel 'The Left Hand of Darkness' draws from similar thoughts in Taoism, encapsulated in the doctrine: “Light is the left hand of darkness, and darkness the right hand of light. Two are one, life and death, lying together like lovers in kemmer, like hands joined together, like the end and the way.” In her narrative, the left and right hands metaphorically represent different gender characteristics, exploring the fluid dynamics between sexual norms and marginalized identities. Yet in the dimension of cognition, for most right-handed individuals, proficient use of the right hand leads to the marginalization of the left hand, influencing how they perceive and interact with their environment.

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With its “minority vision,” the left hand, a primary tool for tactile perception, offers insights about “connection” through its spatial relationship with the middle core of the body–positioned on its left side. Unlike other symmetrical body parts such as the eyes, feet, ears, nostrils, and even buttocks, which must cooperate to function, the left and right hands exhibit unique and complex flexibility, providing a more pronounced independence of sensation. This exhibition invites everyone to view the left and right hands not just as a pair, like gloves, but as distinct entities with unique stories and roles, akin to two separate friends.

This exhibition interprets palmistry as a transgenerational transmission of collective imagination, while also considering the left hand as a starting point to unveil symbols of auxiliary roles and marginalization. It invites artists to explore their relationships with their own bodies and environments through their works.