This paper explores tactile exhibitions as a decolonial curatorial approach that reconsiders the politics of seeing and knowing in exhibition-making. Drawing from my curatorial project Damá (2025), a research-based exhibition that examined how tactility affects curators, artists, and audiences, the study reflects on how touch may serve as an alternative epistemology in curatorial practice. For curators, tactility heightens spatial awareness and intention in arranging; for artists, it transforms their works into interactive and participatory encounters; and for audiences, the act of touching—initially met with hesitation—deepens engagement beyond the visual, creating a dual experience of seeing and knowing. This embodied dynamic circles back to the exhibition’s premise: to touch is to know. Anchored on Walter Mignolo’s (2011) concept of epistemic disobedience and David Howes’ (2019) discourse on sensory studies, this paper argues that tactile exhibitions challenge the colonial legacy of ocularcentrism in art institutions. The study is delimited to contemporary art practices, as historical or archival objects often impose conservation restrictions that preclude physical interaction. Through contemporary tactile practices, the paper highlights how embodied engagement can open up new possibilities for curatorial ethics, audience participation, and collective learning—toward more grounded and inclusive modes of exhibition-making within the Global South.

Authors:
John Paul Diciembre, NEST, Philippines

About the Presenter(s)
John Paul Diciembre is a Philippine-based independent curator, educator, and co-founder of NEST, whose research and practice explore decolonial and collaborative approaches to curatorial work in Southeast Asia. He is currently pursuing an MA in Art Studies (Curatorial Studies) at the University of the Philippines Diliman.

Connect on Linkedin
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jpdiciembre/

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