Borders become spaces of memory and belonging at Parc-Extension exhibition

Three Latin American artists explore migration, citizenship, identity and the environments people inhabit
In a neighbourhood where generations of newcomers have confronted the questions of arrival, identity and belonging, a new exhibition at the Maison de la culture de Parc-Extension examines what borders mean beyond the lines separating countries.
Les espaces de frontière, presented as part of the Festival LatinArte, brings together work by Gabi Lacoste, María Claudia Quijano and Sabina Gámez. Curated by Claudia Arana, the free exhibition opened Sept. 2 and continues until Oct. 25.
The exhibition treats borders not simply as geographical divisions, but as places of passage, tension and transformation. Through textile installations, sculpture and multimedia works, the artists consider how displacement between countries, cities and inhabited environments can reshape both individual and collective identities.
That subject carries resonance in Parc-Extension. Montréal’s historical account of the neighbourhood describes it as a first point of contact with the city and Quebec society for many immigrants. Successive communities have left their mark on its businesses, institutions and public life, making the neighbourhood an especially relevant setting for an exhibition about migration and hybrid identities.
Belgian-Chilean artist Gabi Lacoste uses weaving, embroidery and sewing as tools for reflection and resistance. Born in Zimbabwe and raised in Chile, Lacoste draws upon a life shaped by several national and cultural identities.
The recent loss of her Chilean legal status led her to examine the authority of citizenship systems to determine who belongs to a country and how people are officially defined. Her labour-intensive textile processes connect political questions with the physical and emotional experience of making art.
María Claudia Quijano approaches the exhibition through the urban environment. Originally from Colombia, she has lived in Quebec for approximately 20 years. Initially trained in psychology, she turned toward visual art in 2018 and completed a bachelor’s degree in visual and media arts at UQAM in 2022.
Quijano collects and transforms discarded materials, using objects found in the city to explore everyday life, immigration, displacement and memory. Her work received the Marc-Plamondon scholarship in sculpture and installation in 2022.
In a recent UQAM exhibition, Quijano combined found materials with videos recorded during walks through Montreal. She explained that ordinary details of the city took on new meanings through her experience of immigration, including the discovery that the doors of some Montreal apartment buildings were not permanently locked. For the artist, those doors came to symbolize openness, freedom of movement and access to unfamiliar spaces.
Sabina Gámez, a Colombian artist working in new media, examines the relationship between the body, technology and the environment. Her practice includes video installations and performances that explore how the female body is represented and recontextualized through digital media.
Gámez has pursued graduate studies in Intermedia at Concordia University and has been associated with its Loyola Sustainability Research Centre. Her work brings feminist and ecological questions together with ideas about community, embodiment and the traces people leave in digital environments. Her projects have been presented in Colombia, Mexico, South Korea, the United States and Canada.
Together, the three practices expand the definition of a border. In the exhibition, a boundary can be political and territorial, but also social, emotional, technological or deeply personal. The works examine what happens in the space between identities, where relationships to home, memory and community are continually being reconstructed.
Founded in Montreal in 2009, the LatinArte Foundation supports the presentation of Latin American art and the intercultural development of Montreal’s Latin American community. Its activities focus on presenting artists, supporting their development and building connections with the wider public.
The public may visit Les espaces de frontière without registration. A guided visit with curator Claudia Arana and artist Gabi Lacoste will take place Oct. 24 from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m.; free tickets are required for that activity.
The exhibition is open Wednesday through Friday from 1 to 6 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. at the Maison de la culture de Parc-Extension, 421 Saint-Roch Street. Admission is free.