Student exhibition celebrates queer community, visibility, and Pride

Other artists embraced fantasy, drag, and speculative narratives as tools for resistance and self-definition. Zach Barr’s Lana’s Dark Desire channelled drag performance and exaggerated persona to explore queer rage, empowerment, and self-determination, while Galateia Kafalas’ installation Goblina and the Magic Ribbon: Tablet and Stool drew from tabletop roleplaying games, Greek mythology, and collaborative worldbuilding practices to imagine alternative queer futures rooted in care, survival, and collective imagination.

Themes of embodiment, transition, and relational care also ran throughout the exhibition. Alex Rana’s There Is Still Time, inspired by the film I Saw the TV Glow, reflected on gender euphoria, transition, and perseverance through projected imagery and references to queer media representation. Aria Evans’ Carried Away used collage to depict figures supporting and carrying one another in interchangeable ways, challenging fixed gender roles while emphasizing reciprocity, interdependence, and embodied connection.

Some works engaged more directly with themes of sexuality, bodily autonomy, and queer visibility. UV Chawla’s video installation I Want To Go Back To The Pier incorporated explicit queer imagery and references to gay pornography, using confrontation not for shock value, but to question censorship, heteronormativity, and the boundaries of what is considered acceptable within public and institutional spaces. By foregrounding imagery often pushed to the margins, the work insisted on queer presence and visibility within the gallery.

Additional participating artists included Zenna Weimer, Jasmin Reimer, and Indiana M. A. Humniski, whose works collectively explored themes of sexuality, intimacy, emotional expression, and chosen community. Together, the exhibition created a space that was both deeply personal and broadly communal, inviting visitors to reflect on queer life, resilience, and belonging across multiple perspectives and experiences.

The exhibition concluded with a Pride celebration in the Student Gallery that brought together artists, students, and community members. As part of the event, visitors participated in live screen printing, creating custom T-shirts, tote bags, and signs in preparation for the Winnipeg Pride Parade on June 7. The celebration extended the exhibition’s themes of visibility, community, and collective expression beyond the gallery walls while helping participants prepare to join the broader University of Manitoba contingent at the parade.

As a student-led exhibition developed in collaboration with community partners, Echoes of Persistence highlights the important role emerging artists and organizers play in shaping cultural conversations both on campus and within Winnipeg’s broader arts community. The exhibition also demonstrates how student-run initiatives continue to create meaningful spaces for visibility, experimentation, dialogue, and connection.

About the Student Gallery

The School of Art Student Gallery presents ever-changing exhibitions throughout the academic year, typically on view for one to two weeks at a time. Exhibitions are organized by School of Art students in conjunction with the Student Art Curatorial Selection Committee, offering students an important opportunity to gain hands-on experience programming, preparing, and mounting exhibitions as part of their developing professional creative practices.