“Let’s talk about borders, but not only the geographical ones.”
‘BORDER//LINES’ took place from the 30th of March to the 30th of April 2023, bringing together the works by three international artists: Sandra Singh, Sasha Lavrenchuk, and Giuditta Vendrame. Curated by Jessica Capra at Super+Centercourt in Munich, this exhibition reflected on the political and environmental context we live in, and the looming impact of the COVID pandemic asking the extremely timely question ‘what are the consequences of borders?’
A variety of faceted meanings connected to ‘borders’ were highlighted through the words of poems, sculptural glass and cyanotypes, inviting visitors to think about the effects they have through the personal stories presented by the works on display as all three artists explore the meanings and implications of boundaries from a geographical, political, personal and human perspective.
What do borders do, mean and look like in different parts of the world? How are they defined? Who or what should they protect? How can they be harmful? How and why might they change?
Political borders separate countries, states, provinces, counties, cities and towns. They can be geographical – real mountains, rivers or seas – or conjured up. The definition of a border acts as the definition of an area which can be controlled by whatever organ, class or person is in power. Borders give a limit to this power as governmental, regional and local laws and rules can only come into effect within them. However, they can and do change.
Borders can also been defined between humans. By defining personal or emotional borders, we set our boundaries. These borders may appear as clear, but their presence is fragile. They can be temporary, liable or fluctuate according to the circumstances.
Here is a selection of photos looking back at the exhibition in Munich.
Photo Credit: Francesco Giordano
