Plazas of sovereignty: Curatorial imagination in times of expanded borders

Abstract

This article explores the dispersed geography of the so-called plazas of sovereignty, the Spanish strongholds formed by a group of rocks, islets and archipelagos, that stretch along the northern coast of Morocco, from a curatorial perspective. These territories, which have been occupied by Spain since the end of Middle Age, are today inaccessible to documented or undocumented citizens. My curatorial research Dispositifs of Touching has created a space for studying the enclaves through the activation of a methodology that has helped to approach and generate knowledge around their forbidden status. Their lack of accessibility has encouraged the development of a curatorial production that included site-visits, reading groups, public platforms for debate, documentary materials, artistic productions and installations. Beyond this, the study of the strongholds facilitates the configuration of a criticality ( Rogoff, 2003 ) on terms that are fundamental for curatorial research and practice as much as for contemporary urgencies related to the contemporary migratory crisis between Africa and Europe.