Gulu Real Art Studio, Passport

It brought together two separate but connected series of works by artists Martina Bacigalupo and Émilie Régnier that used the ID photo as a source of inspiration. From the exhibition catalogue: “After passing through various security checkpoints at Toronto Pearson International Airport’s Terminal 1, travellers will encounter Bacigalupo’s and Régnier’s large-scale photographs along two banks of moving sidewalks. In this site of constant travel and transition, these images offer a moment of contemplation about the complexities of global migration. The ID photo is a ubiquitous yet essential document for negotiating these passageways, allowing people movement across borders. But it represents a freedom that is not attainable for all. Bacigalupo and Régnier also question what the ID photo actually conveys about identity, allowing viewers to consider the complex life that exists outside of each cropped, standardized image.” 

Date: April 24 – September 1, 2014