Thousands of temporary foreign workers come to B.C. each year to make more money than what they can get back home.
And, often, their stay can be physically gruelling and isolating, as they toil on farms, in factories and on construction sites.
They are “invisibles y desechables” (Spanish for invisibles and disposables), a term used by the Surrey-based La Dignidad Migrante Society that aims to help temporary foreign workers as they navigate Canadian systems and prevents abuse, exploitation and discrimination.
To raise awareness of their presence and impact on the economy, the society will show a photo exhibit at Coquitlam’s Place des Arts this month to highlight how the workers spend their time off the job.
Curated by society volunteers Carlos Colín and Luz Rosas of Mexico, the display opens Jan. 17 in the Leonore Peyton Salon.
In an interview with the Tri-City News, the organizers talked about how they wanted to present an exhibit that didn’t gloss over the hard labour and living conditions that many workers face.
“Sometimes, art can be dislocated from reality,” Colín said. “We didn’t want that. We want people to understand what’s happening with these workers’ lives, and create information and connections.”
For this exhibit, Rosas snapped the images over the past year to capture workers largely at social gatherings organized by the society in Vancouver, Surrey, Langley, Victoria, Osoyoos and Lake Country.
But the photos from her Nikon and Fuji cameras are different from a show held this summer at Douglas College in New Westminster, which focused more on the housing conditions provided to the workers.
Still, Rosas has thousands of pictures she’s taken of workers over the past decade in B.C. to document their existence.
Colín said her archival collection is one of the biggest in the province, as it relates to the use of temporary foreign workers.
And he hopes to stage more photo and art exhibitions around the Lower Mainland to offer a deeper cultural exchange.
Another show is expected later this year in Langley.
“I am familiar with their isolation,” Rosas said.
“I see so many people struggle with the same things I did. They face barriers. They might not share the same language, but for a lot of them, working in Canada may be out of necessity. They want to have a better life, but that means leaving their homes and their families. It’s a sacrifice.”
Colín said the society spends much of its time advocating for rights and fair wages for the temporary foreign workers; letters to the Canadian and Mexican government are frequent, he said.
“Canada isn’t always a fair place,” Rosas said.
Meanwhile, also opening at Place des Arts on Jan. 17 are Emerging Talent 27 (various mediums by Grade 12 art students in School District 43) and Becoming (mixed media on wood panel by Yuan Wen). The reception is at 7 p.m. at 1120 Brunette Ave., Coquitlam.
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