I am Kahee Bae, the art director for this exhibition. It is a bit daunting but also a very meaningful opportunity to hold the first session here in Providence, where I currently reside.

Connecting Experience with Exhibition Theme

The title of the exhibition, "Strangers of Providence," literally means the strangers of Providence. It refers to the people who have gathered in Providence for various reasons, such as to gain knowledge or to teach students, like myself. When I moved to Providence for my education, I felt like a stranger here. In classes, when students would freely express their opinions and ask honest questions, I found myself unable to speak, fearing I might make a mistake. I felt out of place and worried that the professor might view me as a student who wasn't actively participating. There were days when I felt upset and spent the entire day in anxiety.

Living in a new place far from home can be unfamiliar and awkward until you adapt. We go through many trials and errors to fit in because the culture, social values, and even ways of thinking can be different from what we are used to.

However, we often feel like strangers not only in a physical sense but also within our own communities or society. This sense of alienation, the peculiar feeling of not quite belonging, can be experienced in everyday life.

Therefore, while the title is "Strangers of Providence," it encompasses not only the strangers living here in Providence but all of us in such situations. The Process of Naming the Exhibition and Sources of Inspiration

The exhibition is inspired by the character Meursault from Albert Camus' novel "The Stranger" and Roger Williams, the founder of modern-day Providence.

Explanation of "The Stranger"

Let's briefly look at the plot of Albert Camus' "The Stranger." The novel tells the story of Meursault, a man who lives very honestly but is indifferent to social norms. The novel is divided into two parts. The first part starts with the funeral of Meursault's mother and ends with him shooting an Arab. The second part deals with Meursault's trial for the murder and ends with him awaiting his execution.

Meursault shows an indifferent attitude towards significant events such as his mother's funeral and the act of murder, which is markedly different from how people usually react to death. In the courtroom, his lawyer urges him to hide his genuine feelings and to pretend to feel guilty and remorseful. However, during the trial, neither the prosecutor nor the defense lawyer asks Meursault for any statements, and they only argue their points among themselves. Eventually, the judge, concluding that Meursault committed premeditated murder, sentences him to death.

History of Providence/Roger Williams

Before introducing Roger Williams, I would like to give a brief overview of Providence. Providence is located in Rhode Island, the smallest state in the US. Unlike Seoul or New York, you won't see many high-rise buildings here, but rather, buildings reminiscent of classic European architecture. This is due to Providence's history. When people first crossed over from England to the New World, they landed on the eastern coast of America. Since Providence is located on the eastern edge, the buildings were constructed in the English architectural style of that time.

However, the English did not immediately settle in the area that is now Providence. The area was originally inhabited by Native Americans. The settlers first settled in Massachusetts. Roger Williams, like many Englishmen of that time, first settled in Massachusetts. As a minister, he engaged in trading goods brought from England with the native Narragansett tribe, forming close relationships with them. However, the English saw the natives as inferior and evil, leading to territorial expansion and massacres. Although the English became strangers in the New World, the natives, who had lived there for a long time, became strangers in their own land due to the English settlers.

Williams criticized the un-Christian actions of the English, advocating that the natives had the rightful ownership of their land. Despite multiple warnings from the Massachusetts Bay authorities, he continued to condemn the English actions and was eventually banished. With the help of the natives he had traded with, Williams was given a piece of land and, along with some English supporters, moved to what is now Providence, establishing a peaceful relationship with the natives and creating a community based on understanding, tolerance, and solidarity.

Conclusion

In Camus' novel, Meursault is completely alienated for his honest emotions and actions, deviating from societal norms that dictate sadness in the face of death. In contrast, Roger Williams sought to eliminate conflicts between natives and settlers and create a sense of unity and connection.

When Meursault was sentenced to death, it was not just by the judge but by society as a whole. In the novel, Meursault is a stranger who does not conform to societal values and norms, much like us when we deviate even slightly from what is expected. Despite this, Meursault's daily life, enjoying swimming at the beach on a sunny day, watching movies, and spending time with loved ones, is not so different from ours.

We often fail to understand and label as different anyone who deviates even slightly from social conventions or values. A classic example is when someone at a company dinner, where the boss says, "Today is on me, eat as much as you want, I'll have the black bean noodles," and someone dares to order sweet and sour chicken, causing a shocked silence. "No one has the right to mourn the death of their mother." This sentence highlights that social values and norms are merely conditions set to create reasonable standards in society, not absolute measures of right and wrong.

What are social values? Although the novel uses the extreme example of death, even if we are not as extreme as Meursault, we often question social values. Like the example I mentioned earlier, can't we just honestly say what we want to eat? Roger Williams also questioned social values. He challenged the English belief that it was acceptable to take land from the natives because they were inferior, instead constantly communicating with and understanding the natives, questioning his society, and working to embrace and unite the strangers. In conclusion, through this exhibition, we want to emphasize the importance of solidarity in overcoming such boundaries, as exemplified by Williams. The sense of alienation we feel is a unique experience in each of our lives, but it also serves as a common thread that connects us.

To explore and understand the sense of strangeness we each hold, we first received the artists' works. The artists then observed each other's works, interpreted the elements in their own way, and incorporated them into their own creations, resulting in a new body of work. Through the artists' attempts to understand the sense of being a stranger, we hope that you, too, can discover new possibilities for solidarity.