Border Colonialism: Art & Talk
- 8 September 2026
- De Facto
With her book Border Colonialism, Belgian-Kosovar writer and scholar Albina Fetahaj inspired artists from Deventer (NL). On September 10, she will be in the Bergkerk to discuss the current European border policy and how it relates to the work of artists Michael Rhebergen and Rami Alshilli. The conversation will be moderated by De Facto's Jorie Horsthuis.
Sorry Landscapes #0649 - Schitterende Barrière, 2026
Theo BosIn Deventer, 14 artists have curated an exhibition that is inspired by the book Border Colonialism of Albina Fetahaj, who is originally from Kosovo but lives in Belgium. On Thursday, September 10, she will have a public conversation with the artists Rami Alshilli and Michael Rhebergen about the different works in the group exhibition and how they relate to the themes in Fetahaj’s book.
The talk will be hosted by journalist and writer Jorie Horsthuis. She will also interview her separately for De Facto, an interview that will be published soon as part of our interview series.
In 'Border Colonialism' (EPO, 2024), Fetahaj argues that borders are more than just lines on a map. They are mechanisms of power intertwined with capitalism, colonialism and imperialism. A world without physical borders? Fetahaj wants to go one step further and envisages a planet in which borders are simply absurd. Her book is a plea for reimagining our world.
The exhibition ‘Border Colonialism’ is part of the series group exhibitions De Staat Van organized by Kunstenlab. It just opened and can be visited in the Bergkerk until September 20. Participating artists are: Aalt van de Glind, Francisca Markus, Reinhold Bogaard, Jeroen Diepenmaat, Rami Alshilli, Michael Rhebergen, Harco Rutgers, Malou Cohen, Aloysius van Druten, Lies Kortenhorst, Theo Bos, Cecile Reijnders, Mathilde Evaline Jansen and Sophia de Vries.
