During her residency in Holland Aïda Gomez has developed a project about the real effectiveness of these limiters. “Concertina” – barbed wire in Spanish – is a fascinating and disturbing word, it sounds beautiful and musical but it represents a lethal element for those who try to pass over it. Public opinion recalls with horror the Berlin Wall and at the same time chooses to ignore its refined and frightening contemporary versions such as the Melilla fence and the wall dividing Gaza and Israel. The borders and distances between nations and people are growing.
Barbed wire, fences and other instruments installed to give a sense of “security” are the starting point of this piece of work. While we internalize their aggressiveness, the idea of prohibiting and exclusion becomes commonplace.
These urban interventions question the real effectiveness of these limiters and ask if a “concertina” can really distance you from the love you are looking for, or if it will only be one more obstacle that should be overcome.
This project was made possible with the support from Are Artist Residencies.
Text by: Mané Bonamin
Translation by: Michele Chinitz
Read our interview to learn more about Aïda Gomez here!
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