A World Without Borders

Year: 2021
Technique: series of 9 drawings, ink on paper, 42 x 30 cm

The series of drawings came about as a response to the messages received on the postcards sent by the residents of Slovenj Gradec, Celje and surroundings. In this participatory project, I posed the question: What would be different in your life (in the past, present or future) if state borders didn’t exist? From the messages that I received and based on my own research and thinking about a different and fairer society, I created 9 drawings with texts which address different areas (freedom of movement, the whole world = an equal community, respect for the freedom of others, the abolition of the military and police, care for nature, community building, world citizenship, change of thinking).

The project was created in cooperation with the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art Koroška (KGLU), Slovenj Gradec, and was first presented in the exhibition Beyond Borders at KGLU.

Postcard (pdf, in Slovene)

The text on postcard:

Imagine a world without state borders. Is it a utopian idea that seems impossible today? In any case, let’s try to think about different ways of living together and about a fairer arrangement of the world. Simply thinking about the different changes can already spark the beginning of those changes. Borders have existed for a long time; we mainly understand them as the national protection of estates and land. They were created with the intention of protecting seized territories and accumulated resources. With colonial expansion and the start of capitalism, they became ever more violent and impermeable. They were constructed as a system of control, which, along with the free movement of capital and goods, disables the free movement of the “wrong” people. Borders claim to ensure safety and freedom, yet they are racially exclusionary. How can anyone claim a right to parts of the planet, fertile land, water or the right to use nature or exploit and abuse of people and animals for their own profit and comfort? How can personal circumstances, such as place of birth, have such an influence over where we will live and if we will even survive? Why couldn’t we begin to think outside the frame of the world’s current capitalist arrangement, which is obviously unjust, exploitive and fosters irreversible climate change? Let’s imagine a world in which capital is exchanged for culture and striving for non-stop growth is transformed into downsizing. A world in which, instead of competition and shopping, we prioritise cooperation, solidarity, respect and humility. That would be an egalitarian world, in which we care for one another, for animals and for nature. To live in a world without borders would mean living in a world without capitalism, in a more open and peaceful world, in which we gather in different communities and respect the freedom and rights of all sentient beings.

Written on the map:
Freedom of movement
Mutual respect and cooperation
Integration into equal communities
Nobody is illeagal
The right to a decent life
Protection of nature and animals
Solidarity, care and help

________

Drawings

A WORLD WITHOUT BORDERS

FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT
The right to come and go
You cannot choose your place of birth; you can choose your place of residence
The right to travel and settle
The right to asylum and family reunification
The right to choose education and work
The abolition of visas and passports
Less bureaucracy
No one is illegal

THE WHOLE WORLD = AN EQUAL COMMUNITY
Collaborating for the common good of everyone
Common management
A world government (cosmocracy)
The representatives of communities are selected by lottery
A common constitution and the protection of human rights
One common monetary currency
Protection for indigenous peoples and minorities
A classless society

RESPECTING THE FREEDOM OF THE OTHER
Empathy and solidarity
The right to a home
The right to a dignified and safe life
Freedom of choice about one’s own body
Animals and nature are also free, sentient beings
Freedom to choose one’s lifestyle (which does not threaten others)
The abolition of repression and control

THE ABOLITION OF THE MILITARY AND THE POLICE
Soldiers would become civil protection and scouts (care for the community and nature)
The abolition of the arms industry
Redirecting money for the good of the community
There’d be no more wars
The end of military and police violence
The abolition of prisons and detention centres

CARE FOR NATURE
We are only visitors here
We have a debt to our ancestors and to our descendants
Decreasing the use and abuse of the planet
Care for the climate
Humanity does not rule nature
Stop using fossil fuels
Stop exploiting natural resources in the name of profits
Animals are neither raw materials nor food
The end of animal husbandry
A respectful attitude towards animals and nature
Reducing consumerism
A fair distribution of food
Reuse
(on the transparencies: Change policies, not the climate; We demand climate justice)

COMMUNITY BUILDING
A fair distribution of wealth
Respect and mutual aid
The end of exploiting cheap labour
A dignified life for everyone
Equal pay for equal work
Intergenerational solidarity
If there were no money, the world would be more just
How can we help you?
How can you help us?
The end of speciesism
~~Capitalism~~

CULTURE AND IDENTITY
Respectful communication
The end of racism and nationalism
Access to shared know-how and knowledge
Respecting non-Western traditions and archives
Support for creativity
Care for cultural heritage
Equality despite personal circumstances
Transnational community
Citizenship is no more relevant than an astrological sign
(on the flag: Citizen of the world)

A CHANGE OF THINKING
Thinking spectrally instead of binarily
Recognising and breaking down prejudices
There are no simple answers
Encouraging curiosity and empathy
More cooperation and gathering
Thinking about other ways of cohabitating and social arrangements
A different world is possible

_______

Beyond borders exhibition view at KGLU, 2021.