Border Control

Human migration is a defining issue of the 21^st century, often calling into question the relevance, role, and responsibilities of national borders across the globe. As individuals seek refuge from geopolitical and environmental forces, we become an increasingly globalized community. Demarcations of all types are simultaneously porous and closed, defensive and receptive, and seen in almost every facet of our existence. Border Control responds to these conditions with an open-ended question, asking: ​“How has humanity made sense of the world in relation to borders and boundaries, both physically and psychologically?” While positioned within (or outside of) defined spaces and identities, human refusal of such literal definitions is paramount. Even while lines drawn have important consequences for lived reality, the winds, currents, and natural energies of the Earth deny enclosures and definitions that politics and maps might suggest.

Drawn from practices that are touched or driven by new media, Border Control assembles works by artists who consider geographical contexts, patterns of migration, displacement, and statelessness. Collectively, they offer projects with subterfuge, refusal, and reconsideration of imposed state-sanctioned boundaries.

Curated by Allison Collins in collaboration with Carrie Edinger and Srimoyee Mitra.
Presented in partnership with the New Media Caucus.

Artists: Annabel Castro, Mahwish Chishty, Lyn Goeringer, Ryan Griffis & Sarah Ross, Kate Hollenbach, Carrie Hott, X.A. Li, Rebekah Modrak, Abhishek Narula, Joel Ong, Jon Packles, Aislinn E. Pentecost-Farren, Susan Rochester, José Carlos Teixeira, Alex Turner, and Sabato Visconti.

Short films by: Nadav Assor, Anxious to Make (Liat Berdugo + Emily Martinez), Yaminay Chaudhri, Andrew Demirjian, José Guadalupe Garza & Miriam Ruíz, and Rick Silva.

Image: Rick Silva, Western Fronts, 2019, video still