Parallax(e) Exhibition in Kelowna: What the 49th Parallel left out

A new exhibit has arrived at the Kelowna Art Gallery, featuring rare boundary survey photographs, watercolours, and maps that meet new work by Indigenous artists.

Parallax(e): Perspectives on the Canada–U.S. Border runs from Saturday Nov.7 until March 28, 2027.

It highlights how the 49th parallel runs through the middle of Osoyoos Lake, just over an hour south of Kelowna. The water on either side of this boundary is the same water, and yet a border divides this landscape in two.

One of the most visually compelling pieces is a huge horizontal scroll suspended from the ceiling that winds through the gallery like a physical river. Titled Beholden: A Poem As Long as the River, it depicts the entire Columbia River system accompanied by poetic text by Fred Wah and Rita Wong.

Watch the video for a taste of the exhibition.