This thesis stems from a profound need to explore the fractures of diasporic identity through the lenses of colonial memory and displacement. It navigates the metaphorical non-place of the diaspora a liminal space where identity is constantly redefined amidst the scars of colonial history.
Far from being mere theoretical concepts, colonialism, diaspora, and displacement are lived experiences that shape bodies, lands, and time. The work frames migration not only as movement, but as a spiritual and cultural condition, where art becomes a language of resistance, a keeper of silenced memory, and a space for reclaiming identity.
Drawing on Paul Gilroy’s Black Atlantic 1, the thesis considers the ocean as both a site of trauma and of cultural creation. It examines how contemporary artists translate diasporic experiences into visual and performative languages. From Belkis Ayón’s mythological prints to Tania Bruguera’s political performances, Coco Fusco’s critique of the colonial gaze, Dominique White’s maritime metaphors of Black resilience, and Binta Diaw’s invocations of land and body—the thesis highlights how these practices challenge dominant narratives and reclaim memory.
Theoretical frameworks by Homi Bhabha 2 (hybridity and in-between spaces), Marc Augé 3 (non-places), and Frantz Fanon 4 (colonial alienation) enrich the analysis, situating the diaspora as both a wound and a site of creative potential. Luis Camnitzer’s 5 view of Latin American conceptualism as political resistance guides the use of language as an active, poetic, and pedagogical force.
The practical project, Beyond the Border, reflects these themes through sound sculptures and video-rituals that recreate the non-place of dislocation. By weaving personal and collective migratory experiences, it explores how art sustains ancestral traditions and reshapes identity across borders.
