Starting in 2011, the Spanish photographer Ignacio Evangelista spent three years travelling through the European continent in order to document old border posts between countries within the European Union. In 1985, the Schengen Agreement enabled those within the European Union to travel freely. This meant that, over time, many border posts were deserted, neglected or repurposed. Evangelista photographed these relics of history. How visible are the old European borders?
As early as childhood, photographer Evangelista would spend hours enraptured by land maps. Decades later it was this fascination that he channelled in the making of ‘After Schengen’. Today, with the growing strain on Europe’s outer borders and the Schengen Agreement under pressure, Evangelista’s nostalgic imagery in ‘After Schengen’ gains a new dimension of significance.
On June 2nd at 19:00, Ignacio Evangelista will talk about his exhibition, ‘After Schengen’.
Photo: Ignacio Evangelista