"Tone in Tongue"

Radical Characters presents the launch of Tone in Tongue, a multi-venue international exhibition running from July 18 to November 14, 2025, hosted across Otis College of Art and Design, Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), and the Shanghai Research Institute of Printing Technology.

Culture, like a shadow, shifts and transforms over time. The Chinese idiom “如影随形” rú yǐng suí xíng (“as the shadow follows the form”) evokes this fluid and intimate relationship—one element inseparably linked to another. Tone in Tongue adopts this metaphor to explore the deep interconnection of East Asian visual culture, tracing how shared histories and distinct, aesthetic identities continue to resonate in contemporary design.

Tone in Tongue, the exhibition title and a play on words, draws from the Hanzi character 同 tóng (together or in common) and is composed of the radicals 凡 fán (all) and 口 kǒu (mouth or gateway), symbolizing a shared language. In the Unicode system, such characters belong to the CJK Unified Ideographs—not merely a technical standard, but a reflection of the collective imprint of Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese writing traditions. As a shared character that transforms across time and traverses geographic and cultural boundaries, Tone in Tongue offers a point of entry open to multiple interpretations: What does it mean to share a “common language” in contemporary design?

Along this intricate vein, the exhibition invites participants to explore both the shared ground and the distinct nuances within East Asian visual communication. Presented in four parts, Tone in Tongue features the work of 50 international designers and 100 publications. The exhibition includes commissioned posters by international studios; contributions from emerging practitioners selected through an open call; a curated collection of independent publications; and a design magazine tour that traces evolving perspectives on East Asian graphic design over the past two decades—with selections from the archives of Design360° (China), GRAPHIC (South Korea), and idea magazine (Japan).

Through these diverse voices and mediums, designers and scholars reflect on inherited aesthetics while engaging with contemporary issues of identity, coexistence, resistance, and belonging. The exhibition travels and evolves across cities, countries, and continents. As the shadow follows the form, Tone in Tongue constructs a cross-cultural space not only for reflection, but for resonance—a dynamic site of ongoing dialogue, rooted in shared ground.

Tone in Tongue is curated and organized by Mary Y. Yang MFA 17 GD and Zhongkai Li and includes work by RISD alums, Nicole Zhu 25 IL, Seyong Ahn MFA 20 GD, Can Yang 18 GD, Arnon Karnkaeng 17 GD, James H. Chae 06 GD/MFA 16, Scarlett Xin Meng MFA 16 GD, Desmond Pang MFA 16 GD, and YuJune Park 05 FD.

Exhibition Locations & Dates:

Otis College of Art and Design 
(July 18–August 13)
Bolsky Gallery
9045 Lincoln Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90045

Shanghai Research Institute of Printing Technology
(August 10–October 10)
1209-60 Xinzha Road
Shanghai, China 200041

Maryland Institute College of Art
(October 20–November 14)
Bronze Gallery
Brown Center, 3rd Floor
1301 W Mt Royal Ave
Baltimore, MD 21217