State of Exception debuted at the Institute for the Humanities gallery in 2013. This year, we've submitted it in the ArtPrize competition in Grand Rapids, MI.

About State of Exception

This exhibition presents traces of the human experience--backpacks, water bottles, border patrol restrains, and other objects left behind in the desert by undocumented migrants on their journey into the U.S. This in combination with video shot by Richard Barnes on location along the U.S./Mexico border comprises State of Exception, the first major curation of the work of U-M anthropologist Jason De León’s Undocumented Migration project. This collaboration between artist/photographer Richard Barnes, De León, and curator Amanda Krugliak considers the complexity and ambiguity of the found objects and what they may or may not reveal in terms of transition, human experience, culture, violence, and accountability. Read more about Jason De León, Richard Barnes, and Amanda Krugliak.

About ArtPrize

ArtPrize is a radically open, independently organized international art competition and a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

For 19 days, three square miles of downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan, become an open playing field where anyone can find a voice in the conversation about what is art and why it matters. Art from around the world pops up in every inch of downtown, and it’s all free and open to the public.

It’s unorthodox, highly disruptive, and undeniably intriguing to the art world and the public alike.