On Borders, Art and Protest
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Art at the borders and of borders is often enacted as a form of political action against increasing border controls. In the US, artists from the West Coast have used the monarch butterfly as a symbol to express both the beauty of migration and its ‘naturalness’, if you will. The monarch butterfly is famous for its seasonal migration between Canada and Mexico, a journey that sees the passing of three to four generations of butterflies. Cristina Constatini’s article 'Hopeful,'Unapologetic' Art Rebrands the Immigration Movement', published earlier this year by ABC News, explores the different ways in which this butterfly has been appropriated as a symbol in migrants' political actions and is well worth a read.
On the academic front, art in protests in the context of border control has not been left unattended either. Here are just a few academic contributions:
- Amoore, H. and Hall, A. (2010). ‘Border theatre: on the arts of security and resistance’, Cultural Geographies 17(3): 299-319.
- Escafré-Dublet, A. (2010). ‘Art, Power and Protest: Immigrants’ Artistic Production and Political Mobilisation in France’, Diversities 12(1): 4-18, UNESCO.
- Marciniak, K. and Tyler, I. (2014). 'Immigrant Protest: Politics, Aesthetics, and Everyday Dissent', Praxis: Theory in Action. SUNY Press, New York. (In Press)
- Rebouillat, J. (2013). ‘No Border: photo essay’, Citizenship Studies, 17(2): 173-177.
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