To say almost the same was a collective show by the international students of the China Academy of Art that took place in Xika Art Center, in Hangzhou, China. The title of the show references homonymous Umberto Eco’s book, in which he explains how translation can only but aspire to say “almost the same” in another language. It is a constant negotiation process, between interpretation and transmutation of signs, cultural contexts, customs, and homologous meanings.

The show aimed to portray how that semantic negotiation occurs between artists and their works, between artworks and the communication they strive for, as well between each artist and their surrounding foreign context. In such a way, we explored the different dimensions and connotations that “language” possesses, and in turn try to overcome it as a medium for mutual understanding.