Borderlands

Xavier Tavera’s Borderlands is an exploration of the U.S.–Mexico border, where geography, politics, and identity converge in a landscape that is both divided and deeply connected. Begun in 2016, this series of photographs documents the people and places that define life along the border. Rather than portraying the border as a fixed line, Tavera invites viewers to see it as a layered and evolving space shaped by shared history and overlapping cultures.

His photographs include expansive desert views, community celebrations, border infrastructure, and expressive portraits of individuals whose lives are marked by this place. Some images reveal the starkness of razor wire and surveillance towers, others capture families embracing. Tavera refers to the border wall as a “man-made scar,” but Borderlands is more. The images show a region full of resilience, faith, and human connection.

Born in Mexico City and now based in Minneapolis, Tavera is known for centering Latino stories through intimate, dignified photography. In Borderlands, Tavera offers a new way to see the border: not just as a boundary, but as a place filled with contradictions and humanity.

Xavier Tavera: Borderlands, October 30, 2025 - March 29, 2026.