Hannah Klein

English - Creative Writing major

green ink linocut-style print of beetle with large jaws and many radiating lines surrounding it, over yellow background with slightly visible orange text

Private Language

linocut printmaking

Jewett Hallway Galleries

Through a series of reductive linocuts, I superimposed the word "beetle" in several languages over a beetle. Ludwig Wittgenstein's Philosophical Investigations inspired the project. In the pacemaking text, the philosopher presents his Private Language Argument thorugh the beetle-in-a-box thought experiment, which involves a group of people with boxes containing what they all describe as "beetles," even though no single person can verify what is in someone else's box. The experiment captured my imagination, leading me to consider the ways humans communicate experiences across cultures.

print with orange background, beetle with large jaws, and over top the word beetle in multiple languages

black on white linocut print of beetle with large jaws surrounded by many radiating lines

teal ink linocut print of a beetle with large jaws, surrounded by radiating lines, the word 'beetle' in several languages superimposed on top

angled install shot of 3 small prints of beetles in various colors, clipped in a row to a gray fabric wall

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