An essay about immigration, identity and geopolitics

An essay about immigration, identity and geopolitics

October 23 – December 8, 2018

What is a map? What is a border? Do borders exist? In An essay about immigration, identity and geopolitics, artist Guillermo Trejo works with a group of local newcomers to ask these pertinent and increasingly charged questions, examining how maps shape our existence.  Drawing attention to geopolitical boundaries and how they directly impact people’s’ lives—especially those living close to borders—the collaborative exhibition subjectively reimagines maps, formulating new lines marking borders and routes that speak to lived experiences.


Guillermo Trejo is a Mexican/Canadian Artist based in Ottawa. He completed his BFA at the National School of Painting Sculpture and Engraving in Mexico City with a specialization in printmaking and moved to Canada in 2007. The experience of immigration and distance has shaped Trejo’s work. Since moving to Ottawa, he has earned an MFA from the University of Ottawa and has been an active member of the artistic community. He has exhibited at the Ottawa Art Gallery, Galerie Saw Gallery, and other artist-run centers across the country as well as in Europe and Mexico. Trejo has worked as a research consultant for the National Gallery of Canada. He also teaches at the Ottawa School of Art (OSA)


An essay about immigration, identity and geopolitics is presented in partnership with Polycultural Immigrant and Community Services and is an official activation for Emergence Symposium 2018.

Tuesday: 11am–3pm
Wedneday–Friday: noon–6pm
Saturday: 11am–3pm