Ruth Kaplan: Crossing centers on a quiet stretch of road that became, for thousands, a decisive point of no return. At Roxham Road, an unassuming rural passage between New York State and Quebec, people seeking asylum stepped across an invisible line that separated one nation from another—and one life from the next. In this long-term project, Ruth Kaplan transforms a seemingly ordinary landscape into a charged space shaped by law, hope, fear, and endurance.
Between 2018 and 2023, as restrictive immigration policies in the United States pushed more asylum seekers northward during the presidency of Donald Trump, Roxham Road emerged as an irregular yet functioning crossing. Though not an official port of entry, it operated for several years as a controlled site where Canadian authorities processed claims. Kaplan returned repeatedly, photographing the terrain in different seasons and documenting the infrastructures—tents, patrol vehicles, signage—as well as the people whose futures hinged on this threshold. Her images resist spectacle. Instead of isolating moments of crisis, she constructs a layered portrait of a place defined by waiting, uncertainty, and quiet resolve.
Kaplan’s approach emphasizes duration and presence. Snow-covered fields, muddy paths, and temporary structures become recurring motifs, underscoring how global political agreements materialize in specific geographies. The book situates Roxham Road within broader conversations about displacement and the Safe Third Country Agreement, which was amended in 2023, bringing the crossing to a close. Yet the photographs remain resonant, reminding viewers that policies are lived at ground level by individuals and families navigating complex systems.
Accompanied by reflective texts, Crossing invites readers to consider borders not merely as abstract lines, but as inhabited spaces marked by vulnerability and courage. Kaplan portrays asylum seekers as ordinary people confronting extraordinary circumstances. Through attentive observation and ethical restraint, she offers a humane meditation on migration—one that asks us to look closely, and to reckon with our own position in relation to these contested landscapes.
Ruth Kaplan: Crossing
Category: Photographer Monographs & Art Books
Author: Ruth Kaplan
Publisher: Kehrer Verlag
Publication Date:
May 2026
Print Length: 176 pages
Price: paid
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