Ce qui doit être dit x AGIR Montréal
An off-site creative project for 2SLGBTQIA+ immigrants and refugees
In the fall of 2023, we collaborated with AGIR Montréal, an organization providing services for 2SLGBTQIA+ migrants in four languages: French, English, Arabic, and Spanish. During a series of nine workshops designed with and for this group, each participant created a flag representing a dream that must be shared, that which must be said. These dreams speak of justice, healing, and wishes for a new beginning, dreams that demonstrate aspirations for our society, but also very personal ones.
The workshops were inspired by works from the MAC collection: Dating for Export (2017-2019) by Francisco Gonzalez-Rosas, who met with the group to talk about his art practice, and a work by Michel Goulet, Vivre sous plusieurs bannières (2002), which served as a point of departure for creating the flags.

Credit: Rosalie Chartrand

Credit: Maxime Lefrançois
The project uses contemporary art and its mediation as a means for personal growth, knowledge building and reflection. Having a platform for expression is important for everyone, but especially for those whose voices are less often heard. The participants’ dream-flags were showcased at AGIR during a vernissage for their community.
Participants: Cêsart Celedôn, David Santoso, Guido, Guilien, Isaac Henry, Marco Aurelio Alvarez Camarillo, Navis, Patricia falcón and Wualdo Ramiro García Vázquez.
Cêsart Celedôn
HEAL, LOVE AND CREATE FREELY. BE ACCEPTED AND RECOGNIZED FOR MY WORK. GROW AND LEARN MORE EVERY DAY. FIND MY HOME, HELP OTHERS AND TRY TO BE HAPPY
I’m trying to outrun my past, but also to defeat my limits. Because you only get one opportunity in this life to be great and you are the only person who holds the key to your healing. I was born with an unbreakable soul, with chains on my feet but not in my mind, a heart that was made for loving and an indestructible spirit.
David Santoso
TO LIVE IN A WORLD WHERE LGBTQ+ IS CONSIDERED “NORMAL” & HOMOPHOBIA IS WEIRD
Because it’s my current life. And also, my future life.
Douglas
A WORLD FOR EVERYONE
Being in a world that is shaped by us and not a world that shapes us.
Guido
SEE MY DREAM COME TRUE
Because in that way I could have the person I love most with me here in Canada.
Guilien
TO END THE ASSIGNATION OF HETEROPATRIARCHAL VALUES TO HUMAN BODIES
I dream of a world where the body can be defined by the person that owns it, beyond the socially acceptable, the gender normative, the « healthy heterosexual », the procreative and religious laws. It is a fantasy in which everybody matters and money can’t define human worth, where diversity can reshape the meaning of self-expression and the sense of community.
Isaac Henry
INVESTING IN REHABILITATION PROJECTS FOR HOMELESS PEOPLE BATTLING DRUG ABUSE
A large percentage of homelessness can be traced back to the usage of drugs. Being homeless at one point, I was informed that shelters were only a temporary solution. They have limited to no funding to help people get the physiological evaluation they need and therapy for those who are willing to break the vicious cycle.
Marco Aurelio Alvarez Camarillo
BUILDING OUR NEW FUTURE
It is a new beginning for everyone, a way to start living from scratch.
Navis
GET MARRIED
I wish to have my own family.
Patricia falcón
A NEW BEGINNING TO HAPPINESS
My family and friends are the most important in this new beginning towards my happiness.
Wualdo Ramiro García Vázquez
A NEW STORY TO LIVE
Because it is the beginning of new projects, dreams that are now coming to fruition.
About the program
Ce qui doit être dit is a program created by the MAC with the objective of collaborating with diverse communities, using contemporary art as a driving force for transformation. Each program is designed jointly with a community partner to respond to the specific needs and interests of the participants and takes place over several months. The program involves creative workshops that draw inspiration from both exhibitions at the Musée and artworks from its collection.
Acknowledgments
We would like to extend special thanks to Douglas Toledo, Francisco González-Rosas, Leila Tilmatine, Mariam Mannai, Osvaldo Arias, and Rosalie Chartrand for their contributions.
Partner
Located in the Parc-Extension neighborhood, AGIR Montréal (Action LGBTQIA+ avec les Immigrant·e·s et Réfugié·e·s) is an autonomous non-profit organization, by and for the LGBTQIA+ migrant community living in Montreal.