Parallax(e): Perspectives on the Canada–U.S. Border / Perspectives sur la frontière Canada–É.-U

In the mid-nineteenth century, U.S. expansionist ambitions came into conflict with British territorial claims. Diplomatic negotiations led to the creation of the international boundary along the 49th parallel. But what do we really know about the history of the Canada–U.S. border? How was it visualized – through photographic and other means – and carved into the landscape over a century and a half ago? What perspectives are lost when we look at the boundary line from only two sides?

The western end of the border was a geopolitical invention by British and U.S. officials, engineers, and surveyors working in Indigenous territories, which have their own sovereign boundaries. This landmark exhibition brings together for the first time iconic and lesser-known historical photographs, watercolours, and maps made by members of the Northwest Boundary Survey, who drew a line from the Salish Sea to the Rocky Mountains between 1857 and 1862.

Parallax(e) is a collaboratively curated project that puts these nineteenth-century archival materials into dialogue with ambitious sculptures, photographs, installations, and new media works made by contemporary Indigenous and settler artists, including lens-based works by Corwin Clairmont, Michelle Jack, Andreas Rutkauskas, Deb Silver, Henry Tsang, and Claude Zervas.

Together, these creative contributions explore the communities, cultural connections, and ecosystems that were here before, and persist today, despite the boundary line’s impact on lands, waters, and collective imaginations. Offering multiple perspectives on this legacy, Parallax(e) asks us to adjust our vision of the 49th parallel.

Parallax(e) is generously funded by the Canada Council for the Arts, Canadian Heritage, the Terra Foundation for American Art, and the City of Abbotsford.

Please note the exhibition dates are June 14, 2025 – May 30, 2026