Closed borders, fluid exchange
The geopolitical wound called 'the border' cannot stop the cultural undercurrents. The 'artistic border' is artificial. It should not be there, and it is up to us to erase it.
– Gomez Pena
The cultural and political identities of people living in international borderlands are constantly in contradiction with one another. Borderlands often serve as buffer zones between hostile neighbouring states, yet people living on opposite sides of a border tend to share cultural attributes. As such, inhabitants of these areas often face severe crises of identity. Borders are also frequently incongruous with economics, as transnational trade tends to render these lines obsolete. While the world remains politically divided, almost every state today seeks to play down the existence of its boundaries for the sake of economy. This disconnect, between a state's political and economic affairs, becomes increasingly stark by the year.