Nation

The European Union, founded in 1993, promised its citizens “four freedoms”: the free movement of goods, services, people, and money. Most of the artists in this exhibition came of age in the so-called new Europe, which despite its stated aspirations is still shadowed by the nationalism that has plagued European countries and their colonial territories since the nineteenth century. Whether considering their countries of origin or their adopted homes, these artists grapple with the symbols, legacies, and traumas of nationalism past and present in their work. When Sir Mark Fehrs Haukohl initiated this collection in 2000, his parameters excluded Russia but included former Soviet republics and the United Kingdom. Future acquisitions can reflect shifting concepts of Europe as a pluralistic geopolitical and cultural entity.