James T. Hong creates films that merge his interests in philosophy, sociopolitical issues concerning race and class, and historical conflicts across Asia. For the 14th Gwangju Biennale, Hong presents De Anima 2021, the title of which is a reference to a treatise written by Aristotle around 350 BC. Alternating between the perspectives of an anonymous human narrator, a dog, and an unknown virus, the two-channel video offers a portrayal of Taipei during the Covid-19 pandemic interspersed with black-and-white footage of nature, and thermal images of urban settings. Despite their differences, all three voices question the definition of truth and ask whether it is possible to completely ‘trust’ another being. In so doing, Hong flattens the presumed hierarchy between species and thematically reinforces the spectatorial experience of only being able to see half of the installation at once.