DISTANT SUFFERING XXII
i.d. of inequality The extent of your right to mobility depends mainly on which passport you happened to have obtained, namely through birth. Holders of a Dutch passport can travel to almost one hundred and seventy countries without a visa. Those who have to travel with a Pakistani passport can travel visa-free to less than ten countries, including Haiti and The Gambia. The bottom line is that the world can be divided into two: those who hold passports for superhumans (say, an American, English, Australian, Canadian, or EU passport) and those who hold passports for the damned – with the stateless beings doomed even more. Arnold Grunberg | NRC 19/11/’21 The poster shows one of the few similarities between these different travellers, namely their luggage. The poignant difference is in the contents of these suitcases, bags and backpacks. The people participating in DISTANT SUFFERING XXII | i.d. of inequality each have chosen a place in their public space that is important to them to hang the poster. That importance can be described as the most beautiful spot, the most charged, the most activistic, the most intimate, the most striking, the most historical, the most idyllic, the busiest, the least remarkable, the most directly referring to travel, the place where (power)politics takes place, the daily environment, the most touristic that the city is marketed for, the most bland, the most dilapidated, etcetera. During the project, a number of people chose to hang and photograph the poster in several places that represent them. Some participants photographed themselves, alone or with a co-performer, which adds an extra dimension to the place. www.hansovervliet.com
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