Cheik Ledy, Demandeurs d’asile, 1994

Picasso’s naturalization was refused by the Vichy regime in 1940

« Frontières », the new exhibition at Musée de l’Histoire de l’immigration, is a fascinating travel through time and civilisations. Based on short films, photographs, sculptures (by Brancusi) and paintings, it attempts to describe the numerous ordeals that would-be immigrants endure. Very much in the actuality, this theme has been recurrent since the 19 th century and has inspired many artists. The show, curated by Catherine Wihtol de Wenden and Yvan Gastaut is captivating and takes a little attention to follow properly, but it is immensely rewarding.

The gate leading to the Musée de la Porte Dorée is already an illustration of “Frontières”

The entrance of the exhibition speaks for itself

The big Wall of China welcomes you with a huge black and white photograph facing a video by Bruno Boudjelal an Algerian French artist who used recent Mediterranean immigrants’ short films shot with their cell phones.

Walls, real or imaginary, are an important part of the show. Striking pictures of « Le Mur et la Peur » by Gaël Turine, illustrate the wall between India and Bangladesh which I had no idea existed. The Berlin wall, the “Bush” wall between the US and Mexico, Israel and Cisjordania, North and South Korea. A beautiful drawing, « Migrar » 2015, codex en lapel de amate, by Javier Martinez Pedro, illustrates Mexican immigration on trains and buses with the prehispanic world in mind.

“Migrar” (detail) by Javier Martinez Pedro, 2015

Tv interviews from Arte show Jean Christophe Victor discussing the benefits of immigration « We need immigration, why add a negative meaning to that word ? ». A dramatic kinetic map, « Liquid traces » by Charles Heller and Lorenzo Pezzani analyses the drama of 72 passengers abandoned near Lampedusa. Only 9 survived after a two week drift in the Mediterranean where hundreds of NATO boats were exercising.

Carte de séjour Mamadou, 2010, by Barthélémy Toguo

I loved the study by Thomas Mailaender in 1979, where he photographed cars submerged by suitcases and bicycles boarding the ferry for Algeria or Morocco in Marseille. His « voitures cathédrales » become icons of immigration.

“Borne frontière” by Brancusi

One of my favourite object is the giant stamp created by Barthélémy Toguo, (carte de séjour, clandestin) to illustrate the power of stamping officers at the border. This reminds me of when I was under 18, and I wanted to drive to Spain from Biarritz with friends. We were all stopped at the border because we did not have our parents’ authorisation to leave the country. How times have changed !
A beautiful interview of Strasbourg born (in 1931) Tomi Ungerer, who was Alsatian at school, French at home and legally German complements his school drawings of Germans. Another very funny film shows contraband dogs taking food and cigarettes over the Pyrénées from Spain into France.

Road to Exile, 2008, Barthélémy Toguo

Drawings by famous  Le Monde cartoonist Plantu, are more severe but so accurate! The diversity of the artists in the show gives it even more attraction.

Plantu’s vision of immigrants in Calais

 Allow some time for this exhibition which discusses today’s emigration problems with great talent. And on the way out, you will notice the boat « Road to exile », 2008, floating on empty wine bottles and made of wood and fabric cushions by Barthélémy Toguo. (Until May 29 th, closed on Mondays.)

Voitures cathédrales by Thomas Mailaender Musée national de l’histoire de l’immigration – Philippe Delacroix