Boundaries and Paths series

Boundaries are lines of separation and contact between geographical, political, or personal areas, often defined by material barriers, such as walls, or natural ones, such as rivers, seas, mountains, and so on. They define the limit between “inside” and “outside,” regulating relationships between states and/or living beings. Boundaries can also be invisible, imaginary lines on a map, but they are always considered “human constructions.” Let’s think about the “fictitious” boundaries of each state: we all, after all, belong to the same planet; the boundary, or the limit, is something we decide.

Paths, on the other hand, are stretches of road that can be travelled on foot or by vehicle: an itinerary, a route, a road. They can be easy, difficult, uneven, or otherwise.

In this series, “boundaries and paths” also refer to life experiences, shaped by boundaries understood as limits and paths as mental reflections. Think about the limits we sometimes impose on ourselves when expressing an opinion or a way of living, and the paths we take to overcome them.

While boundaries serve to divide, paths serve to overcome them and to encounter whoever and whatever lies on the other side. So the point is: let’s travel, travel a lot, physically and mentally, to discover new places, have new experiences, and meet and get to know ourselves and others.

I did not plan this series with the words “boundaries and paths” in mind. Usually, my process has no precise beginning: I do something, trying to feel good as I do it. And if I don’t like what I’ve made, even better: I’ll know what not to repeat in the future (if only I could always keep this positivity). So yes, it’s all random: I followed my gestures and gaze, selecting and alternating tools and colours I had at hand at that moment. Days later, actually months later, after intermittent observation and reflection, I thought about “boundaries and paths,” and about the duality of respecting them and/or overcoming them, not necessarily breaking them. I felt that both the marks and the colours were impactful and at times unsettling, like boundaries: rough, at times insurmountable. And that moving along them, overcoming them, or even just trying to do so, is truly liberating.