Border Zones: New Art Across Cultures
I'm just back from visiting Vancouver with my husband's family and came across this very interesting exhibit at the UBC Museum of Anthropology. The exhibit features art work that challenges the traditional use of borders to define national identity and categorize individuals. I found the ideas quite interesting - especially when contrasted against the World Cup fever that was sweeping the city.....I was cheering quite loudly for the U.S. during their comeback and others were cheering for Brazil, Argentina, etc.....
My question relates to migration, globalization, and the artist's heritage. How many of you live in the same country in which your parents were born? What country do you most closely identify with? Has this influenced your music or art in anyway?
Exhibit Link: http://www.borderzones.ca/about.html
Tags: Border Zones: New Art Across Cultures, UBC Museum of Anthropology
Replies to This Post
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Permalink Reply by Varsha Nair on -
Hi Amy
Thanks for sharing. Would love to see this show but I am in a totally different part of the world!
To answer your questions:
I am of Indian origin, born in East Africa, now living in Thailand, and spent a number of years in UK as well...
Not sure where I identify with the most. My work talks about this : belonging in the slash "/" space, in-between places. I coined a term "point 33" and have a series of works titled "point 33 ether", "point 33 flux". "point 33 distilled" etc. Taking the 32 points of a compass that point outward and in different directions, I talk of point 33 as pointing in the direction within us.
Varsha
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Permalink Reply by Amy on -
Wow Varsha, so interesting. Can I see your work somewhere? I think I am in this slash space you speak of as well. My father is Filipino, born in the Philippines, and my mother is Irish, born in New York. I was raised in the states, but have strong connections with my father's side of the family. and I believe I am very much at peace with point 33.
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Permalink Reply by Kathy Walter on -
Very interesting question, very interesting museum and very interesting exhibit! I wish I was closer to Vancouver! I was born in the US as was both of my parents (slightly boring so far), however, my grandparents were born in Germany and in India - both countries I felt almost at home in when I visited. I have not come up with any firm theories on that, but I did find it fascinating.
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Permalink Reply by Wayne Harjula on -
Thank you Amy, I'll waffle a little, but as happened before, the topic is rather large/important for me to put a meaningful review together quickly, but I will say I live in Canada because my father made the provision of my citizenship, I grew up in England with a mother who speaks like the Queen and a father who is somewhat a cowboy (both artists).
Immigrating changed me (1992), my perceptions and humbled me to look closer within to what I want in life..there that's simple!.
I don't identify with any particular country but I am attracted to the cosmopolitan mix of British Columbia and peoples acceptance of language and behavior differences within the community. That being said, travel has helped me understand that there are places I would not wish to live at this present time, yet time can change everything in a country.
My art represents a diary of thought or little progressions. How others perceive me can be elating as much as crushing so a country with a shorter reference of cultural history may be...may be more open to taking risk with contemporary work. I have yet to show my resume to anyone, yet in England it was a passport.
(Probably just the grey hair showing)
For me the experience of other cultures is essential, same ingredients, different chef, amazing results..
Thank you for posting borderzones, now I have an excuse to take the bus to town.
Wayne
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