The Role of Art in Subverting the “Ungrievability” of Migrant Lives
Mazzara, F. 2020. The Role of Art in Subverting the “Ungrievability” of Migrant Lives. PARSE. 10, pp. 1-18.
| Title | The Role of Art in Subverting the “Ungrievability” of Migrant Lives |
|---|---|
| Type | Journal article |
| Authors | Mazzara, F. |
| Abstract | This article presents a critical reading of necropolitical strategies put in place in relation to unauthorised sea crossings in the Mediterranean. The loss of lives of people on the move and the management of those deaths in European territories testifies to the indifference towards migrant bodies, which are by definition “ungrievable”. From the perspective of this article, we need to make an effort to identify alternative narratives that can promote what Iain Chambers has called a “critical mourning”, with the potential to develop a new understanding that, as outlined by Ida Danewid, acknowledges the “connected histories” that place the current Mediterranean passages within a continuum of anti-blackness and racism. The article suggests that art has this potential, by opening up new visibilities and subverting the current necropolitical discourse. The analysis focuses on two artworks which revolve specifically on issues of recovering, identification and grievability of migrants’ bodies, Maya Ramsay’s Countless and Max Hirzel’s Migrant Bodies. |
| Keywords | migrant death at sea, necropolitics, ungrievable lives, art, exhibition |
| Journal | PARSE |
| Journal citation | 10, pp. 1-18 |
| ISSN | 2002-0953 |
| Year | 2020 |
| Publisher | The University of Gothenburg & Platform for Artistic Research Sweden |
| Publisher's version | File Access Level Open (open metadata and files) |
| Web address (URL) | https://parsejournal.com/article/the-role-of-art-in-subverting-the-ungrievability-of-migrant-lives/ |
| Publication dates | |
| Published | 08 Jun 2020 |
| Supplemental file | File Access Level Open (open metadata and files) |