Francis Alÿs devoted four years to Don‘t Cross the Bridge before You Get to the River, a project that
took place both in the sphere of world politics and in gallery environments as
a multi-media installation that encompassed painting, drawing, sculpture, and
video. Initially conceived as a means of connecting Cuba with Key West
in the United States, Don‘t Cross the
Bridge before You Get to the River had a second life in the Strait of
Gibraltar as Alÿs attempted to build alliances that would represent the common
humanity of Europe and Africa.

Alÿs stated: “I wanted to construct an authentic image of
the place, a symbolic bridge between the two continents, but always ended up
involved in someone else’s fight. It was absurd.” Ultimately faced with the
impossibility of realizing the work with actual boats, Alÿs invited children to
form a line at each end of the strait with toy boats, bringing the project back
to the open-hearted spirit of collaboration that first motivated Alÿs.