Doris Salcedo's "Shibboleth"

Shibboleth:

"It represents borders, the experience of immigrants, the experience of segregation, the experience of racial hatred. It is the experience of a Third World person coming into the heart of Europe. For example, the space which illegal immigrants occupy is a negative space. And so this piece is a negative space." - Doris Salcedo



I found this work of art to be one of my favorites from The Unilever Series at the Tate Modern. Salcedo breaks through the very foundation of this major art institute by creating this crack which runs through the Turbine Hall. The separation of culture and religion is also evident in the piece through the interaction of the audience. Viewers standing on both sides peering down into the depths of the earth. Two worlds, a division, a separation of our society. I find the inner part of the crack to be the most beautiful, an infinity, a lost space which man cannot reach. The wired mesh within the concrete hold an importance to the ideas in which Doris discusses. The piece represents borders, the wired mesh represents caging, fencing, segregation, a separation of two sides, domesticated spaces. The piece is now filled yet scars the Turbine Hall and sets a reminder for those you step into the space. I respect the way in which Salcedo works and admire her a lot for the extensive research that is put into her work and always comes out with strong, meaningful work that on the surface is a beautiful exploration of ideas that hold deeper meanings.