We live in a world that is rapidly moving toward uncertainty. Against a backdrop of increasing instability, society’s current state of unpredictability is epitomized by both the pandemic outbreak and the socio-political movements for racial equality that obligate us to consider which side of history we shall choose to reside - “right” or “wrong.” This uncertainty strongly correlates to the concept of a borderline. However, the overall implications of an uncertain condition go beyond recent events. Our formerly binary understanding of the world has been challenged since the emergence of Einstein's revolutionary theory of relativity and the achievements of Postmodern thinkers, undermining the foundations of “truth” as a solid and certain entity. As such, the discourse of contemporary art has been grounded in eclecticism, where uncertainty and ambivalence have evolved as critical characteristics, continuing to infringe upon the traditional borderlines of art classifications.

A borderline breaks the uncertainty by defining a division between two distinct (often extreme) conditions, while simultaneously undermining the certainty of territories by occupying an inbetween space. The concept of a borderline alludes to a vague situation. It signifies a gray zone, a limbo, where things are neither black or white. Similarly, the obscurity of the boundary informs the uncertainty of our world’s realities and vice versa. How are the borders that define our uncertainties being broken down or redrawn as we continue to examine them?

Borderline explores the notion of the border both as a metaphor for our lived experience and as a tool to define territorial boundaries. The works in this exhibition investigate such ideas by showing the blurriness of these boundaries, the defiant trespass into adjacent space, the breakdown of conventional barriers, and the exploration of new territories.

This exhibition facilitates parallel dialogues of stigmatized identity, designated space, and medium specificity. These distinct themes simultaneously exist within and move beyond their respective predefined borders. These explorations challenge conceptual associations by delicately and ambiguously transcending established borders.

As a society, we continue to evolve from these transitional waves of uncertainty as part of the human experience. Borderline encourages the transgression of conventional boundaries and celebrates the liberated ideologies that result from these defiant explorations. As the cracks in the façade of certainty continue to deepen more than ever, challenging the boundaries of knowledge and examining the theoretical foundations that shape these philosophies will help us to better understand the times we live. Thus, exploring the nature of a borderline will provide a novel perspective in navigating this era of uncertainty.