Hao Jingban’s video essay I Understand… relates the artist’s thoughts and experiences while staying in Berlin during the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic and at a time when Black Lives Matter protests were spreading beyond the United States to countries around the world. Set against both filmed and sourced footage, the narration begins with Hao’s reflections on the rising tide of anti–East Asian sentiment before going on to consider the possibilities and limitations of political or personal efforts to connect with those who hold different views from one’s own. Besides scenes from more recent protests in Berlin and elsewhere, I Understand… also features footage from an interview with singer and activist Nina Simone and a song by Bob Dylan, whose lyrics helped shape the civil rights and antiwar movements in the 1960s. With a delicate sensibility, Hao juxtaposes past struggles with current civic movements to examine whether difference and empathy can coexist in the complex world we live in today.
