CLOSENOUGH

We rarely really see the written languages we use. For native speakers, written language can be so familiar that we look straight through it and absorb only the meaning. For others, it can feel so unfamiliar that they can barely look at it at all, leaving only a vague impression of its marks and shapes.

CLOSENOUGH plays with this effect. It collects miswritten Chinese characters from everyday life and places them alongside their correct versions, using the format of a classic ‘spot the difference’ game realised as a large-scale typographic mural. Viewers are invited to look closely at the subtle differences between the characters, moving their eyes back and forth in active comparison rather than relying on quick recognition.

By drawing attention to miswritten characters, CLOSENOUGH gently challenges ideas of correctness in written Chinese. For Chinese speakers, the work offers a new way to reconnect with familiar characters through what first appears to be a mistake. For those who do not read Chinese, the work turns unfamiliarity into a playful encounter, highlighting the experience of navigating written language in a multilingual urban environment.