Project Bio:
The youth artists of this exhibit have been forced to leave their homes in Turkey, Pakistan, and Mexico and have been in Canada from three months to five years. Most of them are still waiting for a final decision to know if they will be staying, if Canada will permit a “new beginning.” Each of these emerging artists have grappled with a Personal Information Form or the difficult questions of an immigration officer, “But how can you prove to me that you are gay?”  This process is especially vulnerable for queer refugee youth claimants given that Canada immigration officers receive no guidelines or training on sexual orientation. This exhibit is a way to give these youth
a voice that is not solicited in an immigration office or on a Personal Information Form.

The work exhibited is the result of several workshops on writing and photography and is a collaborative effort between EXPRESS, and "Mapping Memories" – a Concordia University research-art project run by professor Liz Miller with Martha Stiegman.

click on each of the artists' pictures to see the images they produced.