Idling ulcer tandem decay

Idling ulcer tandem decay
forthcoming

co-curated with Sela Lin

Idling ulcer tandem decay examines the excess of everyday culture and its toll on individual and collective well-being. It frames chronic inflammation as both a biological and social dysfunction under sustained stress. Through the act of “slow dance,” the exhibition reveals inflammation that pervades contemporary life. 

Inflammation is a natural repair mechanism, triggered in response to injury, illness, or intrusion. But when inflammatory cells fail to retreat, the healing turns destructive. Here, chronic inflammation manifests as excess intake. We are incessantly inundated with external stimuli, saturating our senses and feeding an insatiable desire for more. Like an immune system trapped in overdrive, this unchecked accumulation overwhelms our mental and emotional capacities, leading to exhaustion and burnout.

Idling ulcer tandem decay offers “slow dance” as both relief and resistance against the inflammation of excess, rigidity, and over-optimization. To dance with an inflamed body is to meet discomfort rather than avoid it. More than self-soothing, “slow dance” seeks a nonsymptomatic cure: not masking pain, but unearthing its root.

Inspired by Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf, one episode features a diving contest where eager goats compete for high scores—except the lazy goat, who drifts down like a falling leaf. It made me reflect on the obsession with achievement: perhaps a slow dance is an overlooked choice.