Arnaud Ghelfi, United States of America

Do you ever feel like a stranger in the country you now live in?

Yes, especially these days with this administration that vilifies immigrants. I’m integrated and I’m a U.S. citizen, but I’m still an immigrant. It’s part of my identity and part of my life story. My children are dual nationals and my wife became a Swiss citizen. Sometimes I also feel like a stranger when I come back to Switzerland. The very concept of “home” in itself is tricky. I go “back home” when I travel to Switzerland and, at the end of my stay, I also go back home, again.

Is it possible to have multiple homelands?

Absolutely: a homeland from birth and an adopted one. To be a dual national, bilingual, bicultural is an incredible opportunity. A few years ago, having spent half of my life in Switzerland and the other half in the United States, I tried to represent this duality through an illustration using the Swiss paper cutting style. That visual intertwined typical Swiss elements like the alphorn, flag throwing, or the Matterhorn, with Californian landmarks such as the Golden Gate Bridge, the cable car, Coit tower, or Half Dome of Yosemite. It put in relation the Swiss cow with the California bear, the Edelweiss with the California poppy flower. I called this poster « San Franswissco » and many Swiss from the area recognized themselves in it. Later I produced alternate versions of this illustration; for exemple as wine labels for Hater Ranch, a winery owned by Hansjörg Wyss, a Swiss philanthrope and entrepreneur. I also created a sculpture version for « Heart of San Francisco » a fundraiser benefiting the San Francisco General Hospital Foundation helping communities in need.