Lavinia Parlamenti, Manfredi Pantanella, The Lines We Draw, 2024

Little known to many, today’s world conceals a multitude of territories that have proclaimed themselves independent but, for varied reasons, have never been recognised (or fully recognised) by the international community. Starting from observation of the paradoxical situation some of the these territories find themselves in and the experience of their inhabitants, this photographic research asks which factors determine the identity of a country and its people today. Through an imaginary journey to real places, it stimulates reflection on the concept of self-determination and nationality at a time in history when borders of all kinds – genetic, linguistic, cultural, economic, fiscal, gender – are constantly being redefined and are becoming increasingly hybrid.

On the one hand, it investigates the instances that contribute to the construction of personal identity: the way in which we come into the world, the way we are preserved after death, our name and family, and the celebration of rites of passage. On the other, it explores the elements at the foundation of national identities: the local fauna and flora, historical, administrative and cultural
sites, food, music, folklore, and eminent personalities. While the Brussels-based UNPO (Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization) represents almost forty unrecognised nations, ‘The Lines We Draw’ highlights the identity-building instances of five of them: the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic (PMR, commonly known in the West as Transnistria), the Republic of Catalonia, the Republic of Artsakh, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) and the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR).

In the book, designed by Ania Nalecka-Milach (https://nalecka.com/), the different geographical contexts and their acts of identity-making are not kept separate but put in dialogue with each other in an attempt to tell a story that goes beyond the individual experience of the different territories. The Lines We Draw breaks the lines imposed by authorities (both official and unofficial) to propose others and discuss the ephemeral and ambiguous role of established codes and the identities that survive and express themselves beyond them.