« Frontière » : an exhibition at the intersection of geographical and artistic approaches

The exhibition ‘Frontière’ opened on 14 April 2026 at the Cité des Sciences et de l’Industrie (Paris, Porte de La Villette). The exhibition highlights the impact of this man-made construct on the real world and our societies, drawing on concrete examples from different locations across the globe. As zones of sorting and control, of resources or inequalities, places of cooperation and exchange, of conflict or refuge, borders transform reality and shape the contemporary world.

As they follow a route through a dozen or so small islands, visitors discover various border zones around the world, embarking on a multi-sensory journey across time and continents.

In each of the border zones depicted, visitors are immersed in one of the many aspects of contemporary borders: forced displacement, death at borders, mining extractivism, the violence of trafficking networks, daily commutes linked to cross-border work, humanitarian camps, gender relations, and so on.

Through artistic creations that combine various media (installations, videos, educational games, audio testimonies), the exhibition allows visitors to see and hear the emotional dimension of the border experience, as viewed through the lens of geographers and social scientists.

Several works by Migreurop members are on display: first, the Migreurop map of camps is projected onto a life-size tent symbolising the humanitarian border.

There is also an installation exploring the investigation into the death of Blessing Matthew (a young Nigerian woman who died on the French-Italian border), created by Charles Heller, Cristina Del Biaggio (members of the network) and Sarah Bachellerie (co-coordinator of the network).

The work of anthropologist Karen Akoka, an individual member of the network, is also showcased through a film project that dramatises and visualises the researchers’ accounts.

The illustrated maps by Philippe Rekacewicz, a regular contributor to Migreurop, are also showcased. Finally, the UNITED database on the dead and missing, to which many individual members and organisations within the network contribute, is highlighted through huge memorials paying tribute to deceased and missing migrants.

The exhibition explores the themes and analyses close to Migreurop’s heart and highlights the complementary perspectives of scientists, anthropologists, thinkers, artists, citizens and people in migration, who examine the boundaries, inequalities and connections between peoples.

An exhibition that is both educational and sensitive, which can be visited until January 2028.
Find the link to the exhibition website here.