The expansion of political
and commercial empires throughout history has resulted in the movement of
peoples, sometimes on a large scale, often by force (as in the expulsion
of Jews from Palestine
and later from Europe, or the slave
trade out of Africa).
While the mileage between
locations remains constant, the distances (like the time differences) are
relative. From a central position everything is visible, everywhere within
reach, but on the periphery
the distances are magnified -
it's a long way from the margins
to the centre.
"The romance of the studio,
like that of the gallery and museum, will probably disappear in time."
Allan Kaprow (1959)
While the mileage between
locations remains constant, the distances (like the time differences) are
relative. From a
central position, everything is visible everywhere within reach, but on
the periphery the distances
are magnified - it's a long
way from the margins to
the centre.
The term 'diaspora'
refers to the transnational dispersion of peoples who, despite their geographic
and historical distance, share common cultural, religious or ethnic roots.Originally,
referring to the dispersion of the Jews, it is now frequently used in relation
to other displaced but related communities, such as those of African-
Caribbean, Palestinian,
South Asian or Chinese
origin.
Global routes, first mapped
out by nomadic peoples, then by
explorers, religious crusaders and trading countries, have more recently been
demarcated by national and international corporations, making communication
links, exploring
new markets and mapping
new destinations.
Artist Mohini Chandra
uses photographs and video to document and explain her diasporic family history.
Eugenio Dittborn creates large folding airmail paintings which he sends from
his home in Santiago de Chile to galleries around the world. Other artists
whose work you could explore
in relation to global migration,
history and displacement are: