Dawit L. Petros

Demarcations invoke my long standing intrigue with how a moving body can define—and be defined by—the physical parameters of an artwork, while also pointing to the larger cultural and historical forces that shape our experience of place. The two triptychs invites a mode of mobility that is open, provisional, and fluid, challenging conventional displays and suggesting new proximities between the body and its boundaries or thresholds.

Both works are rooted in regions torn by disputes over water and territory: the Eritrea–Ethiopia conflict (1961–1992) and the Mauritania–Senegal war (1989–1991). In Painting Sea on Land, layers of water, soil, and paint come together to erase the contested border between Eritrea and Ethiopia. In Drawing a Line From Sand to Sea, a shallow mark is drawn along the shifting divide between sand and ocean, only to be swept away by the next wave.

Through these symbolic gestures and their vivid use of color, the pieces ask us to reconsider the seeming permanence of lines on a map. They remind us that boundaries are never fixed but are perpetually negotiated—eroded, redrawn, and reimagined—by the forces of history, politics, and human movement.