BORDERLINE
A testimony to our existence on the Borderline
UNESCO defines culture as the “set of distinctive spiritual, material, intellectual, and emotional features of society or a social group, and that it encompasses, in addition to art and literature, lifestyles, ways of living together, value systems, traditions and beliefs.” THE THIRD DOT, curator of the project BORDERLINE is in essence, a consultancy and amplification platform, created by Alicia Maurel and Laetitia Lor. It aims to nurture and promote intercultural projects between Mauritius and the rest of the world in the fields of art and design. With both women living in Mauritius and conscious of the fact that contemporary culture resembles a living collage, in constant evolution, they reflect on art, its recognition locally and internationally, and its future that will only pertain if a communal effort is carried out. In order to evolve, it seems absurd to believe in a utopian future where dialogue would occur once all cultures became linear or to believe that only a cultural agent can speak for his country. This land belongs to all of us. For those who perceive the land as a liminal space —created by our significations, identities, traces of other meanings and distinctions— it offers an infinitude of possibilities.
BORDERLINE is a singular story, yet also a common one. It is the story of what postcolonial theorists call cultural difference and diversity. It is simply the story of Humans, who have travelled from afar, by choice or necessity, bearing who we are today, in our contemporary state. The significance of our culture is unveiled once we recognise and accept to articulate our hybridity. Here is where we discover the potential to live and evolve in the space in between, in the existence on the border, where dialogue enriches us, and where unions delineate our island; an island on which we want to live, in the present and perpetually.
Culture is inextricably tied to creativity. This exhibition sets forth our cultural hybridity through art, which tells the story of our land and its culture in its ambivalence and complexity. Twenty emerging and established artists, whom the curators of the project shadowed during four months, reflect on a common theme, with each artist finding his or her own meaning. Their oeuvres discuss, converge, complement each other, and sometimes disagree. The poetry emerges in this momentary intermission, in the historical Granary, a witness to the arrival of newcomers at the port, a bearer of secrets of our harbour. Our story, like all other stories is legitimate. As is our art. This exhibition, a portrayal of art conceived in Mauritius, gathers a nation and its representatives. This alternative order leaves an impression, that of singular and unified voices, which bears witness to our invaluable existence on the “borderline.”
Artists.
Nirmal Hurry Jocelyn Thomasse Maryann Maingard Stina Spangenberg Becherel Krishna Luchoomun
Deanna De Marigny Gaël Forget Khalid Nazroo Baba Gaia Céline Le Vieux
Salim Currimjee Chloé Ip Séphanie Desvaux Azim Moolan Henry Crespy
Maiti Chagny Simon Bach David Constantin Elizabeth de Marcy Chelin Yves Pitchen
