“This is not a true story.” Thus begins the seminal art video Border, which Michal Rovner shot along the boundary between Israel and Lebanon during 1996-1997.

An Israeli commander and the artist herself are the film’s two central characters. As they attempt to enter each other’s worlds, two narratives emerge. One concerns the actual political and physical border—the beautiful, rocky landscape; soldiers and civilians who populate it; and tense atmosphere. The other follows Rovner’s relationship with the commander, whose movements she chronicles and who participates in creating the film.

Rovner calls Border a fictional documentary. Just as the commander declares to the artist early on, “You don’t understand what you’re seeing,” the video challenges viewers to comprehend the border’s fraught space, which functions outside everyday life and is charged with the potential for violence. At the same time, Border explores the possibilities and impossibilities of representing such a place and situation.

Border was Rovner’s first work of video art. It debuted at the Museum of Modern Art, New York, in 1997. She has made three revisions since, which reinforce her belief that a definitive interpretation cannot exist. The Davis Museum presents the 2000 version. Rovner's oeuvre includes video, film, photography, and works on paper and canvas. Based in Tel Aviv and New York City, she exhibits internationally and is represented in collections throughout the world.

Border is fifty-eight minutes long. Visitors are able to restart the video on arrival if others are not already watching.

Border is on view courtesy of the artist and PaceWildenstein, New York. Its presentation at the Davis Museum is made possible by The Sandra Cohen Bakalar '55 Fund for Art.