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Salzburg Global Fellow Ewa Antoszek explains how art can "transform the border into a space of dialogue that fosters conviviality"

Photo Credit: Shutterstock.com/44819065

This op-ed was written by Ewa Antoszek, who attended the Salzburg Global American Studies program "Beyond the Nation-State? Borders, Boundaries, and the Future of Democratic Pluralism" from September 19 to 23, 2023.  

Since all researchers tend to focus on the contentious and divisive character of borders, I want to look at the attempts of artists and activists that challenge the exclusionary practices that befall those who either try to cross borders or live in their shadow. As I note in my article on the border doxa, “[s]uch challenges of dominant discourse take place practically everywhere the border transforms its locale into tenuous space, be it on the Israeli-Palestinian border, between East and West Berlin under a communist government, or on the US-Mexico border”. I want to focus on the examples of border “artivism” taking place literally on the US-Mexico border, as this border is regarded as an “exemplary site for examining both the localized and the diffused politics of bordering," since it “provides a paradigmatic case of global border development".

The examples of border artivism range in scope from graffiti writings, through installations directly on the border fence or in its vicinity, to various performances and actions involving communities from both sides of the border. Each medium has a different persuasive power and a distinct capacity to change the space of the border towards a more inclusive one.

Graffiti written directly on the poles of the fence or corrugated wall constitutes a transgression in itself, as one is not supposed to approach the border, let alone touch it; with current surveillance, such an attempt can have grave consequences. The slogans, including the famous “Fronteras: cicatrizes en la tierra” (“Borders: scars on the surface of the earth”) and other uplifting messages that appear on the wall rewrite the mainstream story of the border by pointing to its contentious character and calling for action to challenge its divisive power.  

Overpass Light Brigade’s light graffiti projected on the prototypes of the wall had a similar function and also highlighted the issue of marginalization of migrants and some ethnic communities in the US. The medium of graffiti also allows for the immediacy of reaction; whenever some immigration- or border-related issues appear in the media, graffiti provides a prompt response. The installations, in turn, do not share graffiti’s characteristic of immediacy, as they require preparation and permits and are often mediated by an artist, like “The Mural of Brotherhood” by Enrique Chiu.

Their main role is to transform the border into a space of dialogue that fosters conviviality. In that sense, they also aim to challenge hostipitality experienced by Latinx and other ethnic groups in the US. Others point to the complex history of the borderlands, like “The Parade of Humanity”, which emphasized the interconnectedness of the two nation-states. “Border Dynamics” illustrated push and pull factors that determine the dynamics of US-Mexico relations. A French artist JR’s “Kikito” (“The Dreamer”) not only alluded to US immigration policies, but also addressed the question of the immigrant as the threatening “Other”, thus provoking a discussion about avarice and fear that led to marginalization of certain groups.  

Aside from triggering discussions about the “Other”, the majority of those examples of artivism promote the involvement of communities on both sides of the border. In that way, they create a space for dialogue and exchange, opening up the possibility of cooperation between those two seemingly distinct spaces that used to be one.  

Finally, border performances and happenings also share that last feature with border installations. Most of the artists-activists who conduct such events encourage people from both sides of the border to participate in them. The most well-known examples include Ana Teresa Fernández’s “Erasing the Border/Borrando La Frontera” (which she followed up in 2022 with “At the Edge of Distance”), JR’s “Giant Picnic”, M. Jenea Sanchez’s “Un-Fragmenting/Des-Fragmentando” or Ronald Rael’s “Swing Wall” (also known as “Teeter Totter Wall”, followed up by “Pedacito de la Tierra”, or “A Little Piece of Home” project), to name just a few. Regardless of the place on the border where these events were located, all of them drew people from both sides of the border to work together to diminish its divisive power. In that respect, they also created a space for those who are usually excluded from mainstream stories.  

When I think about those diverse examples of artivism, I am aware that they are limited in their power to reverse mainstream attitudes toward strangers, migrants, refugees, and anyone who gets labeled as the “Other”. When I talk about artivism, I am often asked if I believe artivism can challenge hostipitality that so many people experience not only in the US but all over the world. I have grown to learn that the world is much more complex than we would want it to be. That is particularly conspicuous when we look at what is happening in Ukraine, Sudan, or Niger (which to some extent overshadowed other crises in the Mediterranean or on the Polish-Belarusian border).  

Therefore, I know that artivism will not change the world immediately and completely, but at least it can create spaces of both literal and metaphorical hope. And that is very important, isn’t it? 

Ewa Antoszek is an assistant professor at the department of British and American studies of UMCS Lublin, Poland. In her research, she examines the question of ethnic identities, representations of space in literature, border issues, with a particular focus on the US-Mexico border, and the situation of Latinx in the United States, as well as migrations and their effects. Her latest research is devoted to the issue of hostipitality.

Ewa attended the Salzburg Global American Studies program on “Beyond the Nation-State? Borders, Boundaries, and the Future of Democratic Pluralism” from September 19-23, 2023. The 2023 Salzburg Global American Studies Program focused on the contestations and renegotiations of boundaries beyond the nation-state, and how they are changing the representation of democratic pluralism.