The exhibition "Parallax(e): Perspectives on the Canada–US Border" at The Reach Gallery Museum in Abbotsford, British Columbia, brings together archival materials from the Northwest Boundary Survey (1857–62) with new works by five Indigenous artists. The show features photographs, maps, and watercolors from British and American surveyors alongside commissions by Dr. Shawn Brigman, Dr. Michelle Jack, Deb Silver, Xémóntalot Carrielynn Victor, and Dr. T’uy’t’tanat Cease Wyss, who respond to the legacy of the border's creation through canoe culture, transboundary identity, and place-based knowledge.
This exhibition matters because it reframes a historical survey as a colonial disruption, centering Indigenous perspectives that were erased from official narratives. By juxtaposing archival documents with contemporary art, it challenges the naturalization of the 49th parallel and highlights how the border severed Indigenous kinship, ecological stewardship, and trade networks. The show's collaborative curatorial model and support from major arts funders underscore a growing institutional commitment to decolonizing museum practices and addressing geopolitical boundaries through visual art.