Cacti can be found in diverse regions, however they are native to the Americas. The Aztec empire symbolically linked the riped red fruits of an opuntia (cactus) to human hearts; just as the fruit quenches thirst, so offering human hearts to the God of Sun ensured that the sun would keep moving. [1] A theory about the presence of cactus in other continents says that it was carried by the European ships trading between South America and Africa. Later on in the 19th century, it was introduced to Australia to use as a natural agricultural fence and in an attempt to establish a cochineal industry. Therefore, cactus has functioned as a natural wire entanglement and a medium for fabricating the pigments.

The cactus as a pure natural organism that also works as an inanimate object which has been artificially regulated by humans. It reminded me of the DMZ(Demilitarized Zone)border between South and North Korea which is a barrier that runs across the Korean Peninsula "cutting it" in half and has a total length of 250 km and a width of about 4 km. The border outside the DMZ is the most heavily militarized border in the world, but inside the DMZ itself the natural isolation has created one of the most well-preserved natural habitats with several endangered animal and plant species. This border line was supposed to be located at the 39 latitude degree, as it was a strategically advantageous position. However, according to the geostrategist Nicholas J. Spykman many changes occurred around the 38th parallel, such as human politics, the eco-system as well as cultural differences, so instead of the 39th it remained as the 38th parallel north. What these stories imply is that human perception actually decides the most fundamental factors in our daily life.

<38 pairs of entanglements> is a small artist book consisting of 38 double sided black and white gelatin silver printed images of cacti. It extends continuously so it constructs a miniature image of a horizontal forest of cacti. All the cacti were photographed in the island of Mallorca (Spain) where its latitude is 38 degrees north of the Earth's equatorial plane. Inside the bookcase there are, both front and back, photograms of the real entanglement wire part of the DMZ fence.

1. Barroqueiro, Silvério A., The Aztecs: A Pre-Columbian History, Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute, archived from the original on 2012-03-07
2. "Geography is the most fundamental factor in foreign policy because it is the most permanent." —from The Geography of the Peace