Curated by Diana Ali at Art Center Caravel, ARTE.M Association, Funchal, Madeira, Portugal 2024 & Arthall, Victoria, Gozo, Malta 2025

Concept:

We are facing many barriers globally where our identities are being bruised, rejected, and turned away. This leaves a tension for bodies, thoughts, and circumstances to be accepted and co-exist. Artists have been invited to contest and question what it means to face barriers. Often our artworks have been declined from being shown and exhibited. This exhibition gives an opportunity for the art to migrate. There may not be a utopia, but there are ways of overcoming barriers. Imagine the artwork being personified. What would it say if it had freedom of movement, no immigration law, finding asylum and a sense of belonging without being displaced? A fantastic array of international artists come together in one space to question, confront and seek sanctuary through their artwork.

Exhibition information/Flyer:

Exhibition information/Flyer:

UPDATE 2025

In 2024, a majority of the work was detained by the Portuguese customs on the way to be exhibited in Madeira. The artwork did not have a freedom to roam. In 2025, the art hopes to confront crossings and overcome barriers by having the opportunity to be exhibited at Arthall, Malta.

Jack So (Hong Kong/UK)

HongKonger

(Digital art print, 46 x 34cm)


In "HongKonger," I explore the thematic nexus of confrontational crossings, the surmounting of barriers, and the unbound freedom of movement. This mixed media piece captures the ubiquitous yet confined space of a Hong Kong subway car, a universal symbol of transit and passage, transformed through a digital collage of abstract lines and spheres that intersect and overlay the image. The deliberate obstructions created by these forms evoke a sense of chaos and complexity, symbolizing the unseen and often insurmountable barriers that individuals face in our global landscape. The artwork is a visual metaphor for the tension between the physical freedom suggested by the notion of public transport and the societal, political, and psychological constraints that hinder true free movement. The tangle of lines represents the web of regulations, norms, and expectations that individuals must navigate to maintain their identities and autonomy in a world that is quick to reject or displace those who do not conform. The spheres can be seen as the myriad of souls in transit, each vying for space and recognition within this confined tableau.

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