Patria o Libertad! On Patriotism, Immigration and Populism

This critically engaged, all-video exhibition, (including two sound piece), featuring the work of 22 artists from diverse backgrounds, experiences and places of residence, takes on crucial issues and questions related to notions of nationalism in our era of fluid migrations shifting understandings of identity.

Is it wrong to be a patriot, to love your country or your roots? Patriotism manifests itself in multiple forms: some are benign and tranquilizing, others horrifying. The problem now is that "nationalism" or "bad patriotism" goes beyond a mere or positive appreciation of your homeland by stressing negative elements of identity and presupposing an iron loyalty that creates artificial divisions and makes it difficult to understand other singularities. We should not forget that throughout history "nation", "nationality" and "identity" have become negative, marking a clear line between a native and a non-native. —Exhibition curator Paco Barragán

Presented throughout the gallery on projectors, monitors and flat-screens, the exhibition is conceptually structured under four distinct headings: PART 1: Tell us a Story, engages stories and discourses that exemplify contemporary patriotic storytelling; PART 2: Fly your Flag, showcases a series of performances in which the flag as patriotic paraphernalia serves as leit-motif; PART 3: Honour the Hero; gathers works around a series of heroes and characters that conform to past and present patriotic histories; and PART 4: Love thy Anthem, contains a series of works that deal with national anthems and songs that constitute a key element of patriotic narratives.

¡Patria o Libertad! invites viewers to consider the current state and implications for the future of patriotism and nationalism in a rapidly and increasingly globalized world.

Curated by Paco Barragán (Spain)

Organized by the Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art, Toronto and the Cobra Museum, Amsterdam.

Patria o Libertad!
On Patriotism, Immigration and Populism
Kurator: Paco Barragan

Künstler: Adel Abidin, Antuan , Maja Bajevic, Marc Bijl, Alexander Apostol, Ivan Candeo, Emilio Chapela, Democracia , Jen DeNike, Nezaket Ekici, Karlo Ibarra, Kaoru Katayama, Elena Kovylina, Carlos Motta, Benny Nemerofsky Ramsay & Pascal Lievre, Johanna Reich, Krisdy Shindler, Shahzia Sikander, Santiago Sierra, Jose Angel Toirac, Katri Walker