ARTBorders

Borders are a fundamental visual element that help to organise elements within compositions, providing a structure that guides the eye to key points of interest and enhances the viewing experience. They can also offer a way to protect printed images from damage, as they separate the print from the paper so that if you accidentally touch or drop the image it won’t tear or dent the surface.

ARTBorders brings together examples of art that address borders in some way, from a performance painting over (erasing) the US-Mexican border fence by Ana Teresa Fernandez (2011) to a combination of poetry and prose by Gloria Anzaldua describing that border as “a 1,950 mile-long open wound” (2009). These works are all shaped by the artist’s perspective and their political message, and they reflect the diverse ways in which artists can straddle and challenge borders.

As well as enhancing the visual impact of an artwork, borders can also be used to create different moods. Wide borders can imply drama or create a sense of anticipation, while thin borders can be more subtle and understated.

A defining feature of this exhibition is the way in which it highlights the relation between borders and power flows. Looking at border art reveals how individuals engage in micro-global politics, transforming the boundaries they experience into spaces of resistance and possibility. By focusing on this aspect of border art, the exhibition also provides an opportunity to question whether a traditional view of borders as ‘dead’, immutable and essentialist can be replaced by one that is able to acknowledge the way in which borders are constantly breached and renegotiated.