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.

Scott Gibson (London, UK)

Pylon (Photography 50x50cm)

Bird on a Roof (Photography)

Vapors (Photography 29x52cm)


The theme here is using nature and framing to create pieces connected by communication. There is a need it seems to recreate megaliths of culture through personal expression rather than the other way around. It's like a trading of roles leading to variations in the cultural value we take from what we see. We might not believe what we see but repeated reminders of what we find in other parts of society reinforce our valuation of our sights and experiences thus making culture relevant to the person experiencing it. The frustration for nature is finding a way to communicate that value to the mass rather than the individual.

Instagram