Over the ages, artists have reminded us frequently that the red lines we draw over our geographical, cultural and mental maps are never set in stone, but are always a matter of perception . Sadly, the mortal risk of Covid-19 cautions us that some frontiers do have fatal consequences. Like many of our fellow institutions, we have closed the building for the time being, and are currently employing public models that maintain a meaningful connection with our peers and public.
This is why, for this second edition of Museion Bulletin we have continued the theme of movement, but with a slightly altered focus. Highlighting the limitations of movement seemed to us both appropriate and inspirational when looking at the different ways in which artists approach borders as part of public debates on migration, identity, and social or political landscapes.
The red lines drawn into the natural landscape by Gianni Pettena, highlight borders primarily as an artificial intervention. The photographs by Karl Unterfrauner draw our attention to “host and migrant” plants and how they thrive within hostile environments. The meaning of travelling is central to the art of Cristian Chironi as a physical challenge. For this issue of Museion Bulletin, the actor and writer Lucas Da Tos Villalba has written down his experience of joining Chironi as a co-driver on his urban journey in a Fiat 127. An interview with the artist Sonia Leimer draws our attention to the dark side of the moon and the ecological footprint of space travel. Simultaneously we meet with the director of the Naturmuseum Bozen, David Gruber, and ask him what kind of museum he would build on the moon.
I would like to sincerely thank everyone who has contributed to the creation of this edition.
Stay safe,
Bart van der Heide, Museion Director
