A question posed in a Chinese political examination probed the nature of time, through the lens of Chinese dialectical materialism, as linear, unidirectional, and irreversible. However, within the dialectical materialist framework, Zizek provided a different account of time. Drawing inspiration from quantum superpositions, the timeline is one of its multiple states, where the past is ontological open to be readable in different ways. This radical reinterpretation of history prompts an antagonistic approach to uncovering hidden dimensions within historical narratives. We can transform the past through interrogation of the written history, to unearth traces of existence, resistance, and change. What awaits in the future is how we read the present.
Antagonistic Superpositions showcases four artists of Chinese descent, each adept at revisiting, restaging, and reimagining personal and societal narratives. They boldly challenge patriarchal, heteronormative, capitalist, and totalitarian frameworks, shaping alternative paths that diverge from the conventional linear, unyielding timeline. By liberating themselves from historical silence, they illuminate alternative histories to envision new realities and ignite possible alternative futures.
