Art exhibit explores themes of immigration through interdisciplinary installation
Walking through the doors at the salle de diffusion de Parc-Extension, visitors are welcomed by a sensory experience of immersive soundscapes and enthralling visuals in Khadija Bakers’ latest art exhibition Oiseaux traversant les frontières.
The project explores themes on the process of immigration and the challenges that come with it. She especially concentrates her work on the experiences of those who fled the Syrian Civil War and migrated overseas.
The venue at the William-Hingston Centre is the temporary home to a rotating roster of many art exhibits and is open to the public free of charge. The latest expo was opened on Dec. 8 and will run to Jan. 30, 2022.
Multi-disciplinary audio experience
This newest multi-disciplinary audio experience is accompanied by video, water features and other effects. It explores the stories of refugees who came to Canada and in particular those who came from Syria, “focusing on their collective and individual memories of border crossings.”
“The project is a conceptual reflection on the movement of displaced people, their sense of belonging and their integration experience,” read a statement by the borough of Villeray—Saint-Michel—Parc-Extension.
The exhibit looks at the social links generated by human migration and the challenges posed by displacement, as a result of meeting new people and adapting to a new home. It asks the question of how the host society appropriates the collective memory of refugees and develops a sense of understanding for them.
“A relationship is possible once the host society accepts these refugees and understands their reality,” continued the statement, underlining the importance of looking at how refugees are received and accepted into Canadian society.
“The project is a conceptual reflection on the movement of displaced people, their sense of belonging and their experience to integration,”
Khadija Baker
Khadija Baker is an interdisciplinary artist of Kurdish and Syrian heritage. Based out of Montreal since she arrived in 2001, she creates art projects that combine video, textiles and sound and explore issues on social and political questions.
The major themes in her work revolve around questions of persecution, displacement and memory. The award-winning artist has also exhibited her work internationally, with her most recent exhibit appearing at the Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF), the Contemporary Istanbul Art Fair and the Casablanca International Video Art Festival.
Baker is supported by the Canada Council for the Arts and holds both a Master of Fine Arts in open media and studio arts as well as a Ph.D. in humanities and interdisciplinary studies from Concordia University.
Essential subject
“We are very proud to receive an exhibition on such an important subject at the salle de diffusion de Parc-Extension,” said borough Mayor Laurence Lavigne Lalonde of the brand-new exhibit.
“It is a unique and immersive experience for citizens,” she added, explaining that it “allows them to better understand other realities and to think differently about integration.”
Admission is free and doesn’t require a reservation, but mask mandates must be respected and a vaccine passport is required. Khadija Baker will also be giving a guided visit on Jan. 15 at 1:30 PM.
The exhibit is open to the public on a varying schedule from Wednesday through Sunday. More information is available on the boroughs’ website.
