A war that happened far away
For a long time I have kept a postal collaboration with artist Jorge Mansilla. From Switzerland to Australia, back and forth, we send and resend all sorts of pictures, mainly done on paper. We discuss about life, we gossip about our partners and families, and we specially talk about this funny feeling we immigrants have called displacement.
Amid these conversations and images, some of his collages and the topic of displacement led me to fill the box from the Archive Box Museum.
I find the condition of the refugee one of weakness and fragility, one that shows evidence of the political illnesses of the people’s countries of origin, and one that should have wiser and more empathetic discussions amongst the international community. I believe we should think of the political problems of countries with people in distress, as something we somehow influence by accepting political systems that foster social and economical inequalities.
Switzerland receives yearly more than 40,000 people seeking for asylum. [1] Its policies toward refugees have been criticized before [2] for their isolating tendencies. Nevertheless, the number of asylum seekers seems to be increasing.
Reflect on it, please.
Compasion is the condition of putting ourselves in somebody elses shoes.
Paloma Ayala (2015)
[1] http://www.unhcr.org/pages/49e48f0d6.html[2]http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-23753875
Paloma Ayala
28th March 2015 - Zurich, Switzerland
Project 01, Archive Box Museum version #02
» «March 28, 2015
