ann haeyoung: terra nullius – RAiR Exhibition

During colonial times, the rhetorical assertion of terra nullius was used to erase claims to the land by its existing inhabitants. Terra nullius creates a conceptual void in the colonial imagination, and transforms land that is settled and cultivated to land that is empty, underutilized, and awaiting “civilized” development. It is a term that has distinguished invasion from settlement.

Terra nullius, and the related concept of frontier ideology, are central to Western notions of progress. The frontier and empty lands beyond it are not physical places. They are the promise of endless extraction of resources and infinite expansion of markets.

In her exhibition, haeyoung examines the myth of terra nullius through three locations: the mine, the radio telescope, and the optical telescope.

ann haeyoung is an artist and writer who tells stories about technology, labor, and the future. She received her Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of California, Los Angeles in 2023. Her work has been exhibited at various venues including The Mistake Room and the New Wight Gallery in Los Angeles and 440 Gallery in New York City, and featured in publications such as Wired Magazine, FLAT Journal, and Solitude Journal. haeyoung has had residencies at Pioneer Works, MASS MoCA, and Interlude, and is a 2023-2024 artist at the Roswell Artist-in-Residence (RAiR) Foundation.