The Crossing

This artwork featured in BorderLands (2026).

Daniel MacCarthy grew up in Herefordshire on the Welsh borders and has recently decided to come back and live in a town nearby, on the Welsh side.

His painting, The Crossing, shows a pair of feet tentatively treading over a red line above water. By the careful position the feet and the outstretched arms of the person reflected in the water, MacCarthy expresses the sense of instability and awkwardness that borders and boundaries can engender.

In the Welsh border, as in many other places, rivers and other bodies of water often mark and embody the edge of territories. Natural landmarks, such as wide rivers or mountain ranges, probably felt unpassable in distant times. Though more easily crossed nowadays, they often remain recognised as natural boundaries. Their status is more difficult to contest.

Image: Daniel MacCarthy, The Crossing, Oil on canvas, 2026. Installation view, BorderLands, Hay Castle, 2026. Image courtesy of Meadow Arts. Photographer, Finn Beales.

 

About the artist

Daniel MacCarthy

Daniel MacCarthy exhibited in BorderLands (15 May – 31 August 2026).