Across the Border
YEAR
2009
Ongoing
SUPPORTED
Manifesta12 Biennial
LOCATIONS
Srilanka, Mongolia, Italy, Hungary, Cina, Romania, Netherlands, Ukraine, Spain, Bosna y Herzegovina, Spain, Republic of Korea, Russia, Germany, Poland, Russia, Australia, France, Brunei, Belgium, Croatia, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Lebanon, Colombia, Pakistan, Philippines, Portugal, Oman, Sweden, United Kingdom, California
After globalisation
Across The Border is a participatory art project that challenges the conventional understanding of flags as symbols of division and territoriality. Traditionally, flags are symbols of national identity, representing the boundaries and population of a specific territory. In contrast, this project reimagines flags as instruments that emphasize connection rather than separation, offering a space for dialogue and reflection on global issues such as identity, migration, and social cohesion.
Each flag in the project bears a word, chosen either by the performer or by a local individual previously interviewed. The selected word serves as a metaphorical bridge, linking the location of the performance with another place around the world that shares similar characteristics or concerns. The content of these words is diverse and expansive, encompassing geographical references, puns, irony, critiques, or reflections on social awareness.
The meaning of each flag evolves depending on the intentions of the performers, as well as the specific context of the location in which it is displayed. While some locations may have a precise historical or cultural significance, others may evoke broader global issues, such as conflicts around personal and collective identity.
The act of choosing words that connect diverse locations across the globe highlights the complexity of national identity, a concept at the center of contemporary political debates worldwide. National identity is a subject that continues to provoke intense discussion, especially in light of the ways in which borders are defined. Historically, borders have been shaped by economic interests and political considerations rather than by ethnic or cultural homogeneity. This has left future generations with the challenge of reconciling artificially constructed territories with the lived realities of those who inhabit them. Nationalism, as a political force, often arises from the human need to define ‘who we are’ by drawing sharp distinctions between ‘us’ and ‘them,’ simplifying complex realities into binary oppositions. These simplifications are, however, increasingly being questioned in an era of globalization and migration.
In this context, populist movements are on the rise in many countries, particularly in Europe, where economic stagnation and recession have created fertile ground for nationalist rhetoric. The tensions between local populations and immigrants—often framed as economic and cultural threats—are a product of deeper structural issues. Resources, both natural and economic, are often viewed as tied to geography, and the movement of people across borders has significant implications for local economies. Yet, while resources are finite, the wealth generated by their extraction often accumulates in the hands of a small, privileged elite, while the broader population remains marginalized. In this environment, debates around national identity become intricately tied to questions of class, economics, and social justice.
The project thus asks an important question: Can national identity and protectionist stances benefit local communities, or do they ultimately stifle cultural and economic regeneration? This is a difficult question to answer, particularly in the context of neoliberal economic frameworks that have proved unsustainable. Neoliberalism, as an economic ideology, has contributed to the depletion of resources in many countries, particularly in the Global South, while simultaneously expecting impoverished populations to accept their economic fate. Yet, the profits from these extractions are often funneled to a small, globalized elite, leaving the working class—both in the West and the Global South—caught in a cycle of exploitation. Nationalism and identitarian movements, therefore, can sometimes serve as tools to mediate political and economic elites’ agendas, redirecting public anger and frustration away from the systems that perpetuate inequality.
In this light, Across The Border explores the importance of free circulation of ideas, people, and cultures, questioning how this freedom can exist when it is built upon mutual exploitation.
How can we break the cycle of politically engineered abuse that stifles social mobility and perpetuates inequalities across borders? The project invites audiences to reflect on these issues by focusing on the potential of flags to symbolize shared human experiences rather than divisive national allegiances.
The design of each flag is a collaborative process between the performers and local workers, emphasizing the importance of individuality as a cornerstone of social agreement. While diversity is often framed in contemporary discourse as a collection of segregated, dogmatic groups—each one seeking to escape from historical patterns of abuse—the project instead proposes a shared identity based on common social experiences. This collective identity is shaped by the circulation of information, the exchange of ideas, and the interconnectedness of contemporary society. Across The Border is thus not simply about the individual nation or its flag, but about the ways in which global interconnectivity, shared struggles, and mutual empathy can create a new, more inclusive definition of identity.
By inviting local communities to participate in the creation of flags that embody both personal and collective meanings, Across The Border challenges the traditional role of national symbols as markers of division. Instead, it positions these symbols as tools for dialogue and connection—proposing a vision of identity that transcends borders and celebrates the interconnectedness of humanity in the face of increasingly complex global challenges.