Borderless – a collaboration across continents
‘All things are delicately interconnected’ – Jenny Holzer.
Borderless is a collaborative project with a collective of artists who took part in the 2019 MI-LAB residency programme from the USA, Ireland, Korea and the UK. Borderless is an artist’s book edition of 8 sumi ink mokuhanga prints presented in a scroll, conceived at a time of growing political divide and separation. The collaborating artists are Katie Baldwin (USA), Patty Hudak (USA), Mariko Jesse (UK), Kate MacDonagh (Ireland), Yoonmi Nam (Korea/USA), Mia O (Korea/Japan), Lucy May Schofield (UK), Melissa Schulenberg (USA).
Borderless is formed of an emakimono, referencing the ancient scroll format originally intended to provide cultural information and teach moral values. Scrolls spanned a ‘great variety of subject matter, from political commentary to epic romances and religious tales, allowing readers to immerse themselves deep within narratives’[1]. Historically scrolls were sometimes used to reflect an artist’s criticism of certain government’s tactics or policies.
Borderless is a visual and emotional correspondence between us as artists across three continents. This dialogue in print is motivated by the desire to connect beyond the experience of the artist’s residency, creating an intersection for us to comment and converse on the state of division in our respective countries. In part it is a response to the UK’s choice to leave the European Union and the previous US administration’s policy to build a wall between the United States and Mexico. Borderless is a vehicle to express an alternate narrative to the culture of separation prevalent in the news of today. This edition was created during 2020, crossing borders despite the Corona virus pandemic.
Borderless was shown as part of Sumi Fusion at the International Mokuhanga Conference in Nara, Japan in December 2021. Edition of 20.