I cut paper maps using an Xacto knife - my fascination with maps probably has to do with my mixed Polish-Indian heritage and always seeking to find myself in these two countries. My interest in history has led me to explore the manifestation of borders as both tangible and intangible results of political, social, cultural and psychological factors, often leaving many on the margins between "us" and "them". How are borders defined, how is nationality attributed, how are decisions intrinsic to our being decided upon by unseen powers? What legitimacy does a map give to identity? Can a map be a prison or a marker of belonging or something in between? Can a piece of paper really be so determining? If so, how can we explore it - can we reclaim it as ours, or do places belong to groups and not individuals?
I try to examine these different themes through maps of different places that have a personal significance for me. Below are three such examples.
