This exhibition is a festive interrogation on identity, roots and the idea of nation, contrasting the dramatic images of migrants that have headlined our newspapers these recent months.
After 400 years of immigration, New York counts today more than 200 nationalities. New York, like the rest of the United States, built itself thanks to immigrants issued from the world over. American culture is profoundly infused by this ethnic and racial history. Tribes parade weekly in the streets of the “Big Apple” to express their pride in being Puerto Rican, Jamaican, Israeli, Belgian, German, gay, a follower of Krishna, of Mohammed, Scottish, Bavarian, Sudanese, friends of animals, snakes or mermaids. Each community, religious or cultural association gather in the streets to express pride in their origins, culture, but also pride in simply being American.
The biggest parades, like the Puerto Rican Day parade or that of the Caribbean Islands, attract millions of spectators. These parades are funny, serious, iconoclastic, religious, nationalist. But one must go beyond folklore, beyond appearances, as these parades are the profound expression of a sense of belonging to this place and become symbol of the global city.
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