Intimate Encounters ~ Animate Histories

Part of the Community Arts Space: What we long for
Transformative Justice Project
Co-presented with The 519, Salon Noir, and YYZ Artists Outlet

Please note: This exhibition contains explicit sexual content.

In partnership with The 519, Salon Noir, and YYZ Artists Outlet, and spurred by the recent targeted violence experienced within the Church and Wellesley area and the ongoing systematic neglect and insecurity of Toronto’s LGBTQ2+ and BIPOC communities, this year’s Transformative Justice Project explores what access to justice and police accountability looks like.

Inspired by the ‘cruising’ histories of nearby Queen’s Park, Intimate Encounters ~ Animate Histories considers the diverse ways in which culturally-specific experiences of desire, physical expression, and social connection take up space across Toronto, and how this is complicated by an increasingly gentrified urban landscape. Led by artist Abdi Osman and curator Ellyn Walker, this project makes visible the dignity, love, and generative practices embedded in local Black, Trans, and Queer histories through community art-making workshops, programs, and a cumulative exhibition.

Programming

July 4, 6 – 7:15 pm
Outdoor Walking Tour: Cruising Histories of Queen’s Park
Inspired by local queer ‘cruising’ histories of nearby Queen’s Park, artist Abdi Osman leads a walking excursion around the park grounds.

July 18, 6 – 7:30 pm
Public Talk: Unsettling the Myths of the 1969 Criminal Code Reform
Historian-activist Gary Kinsman presents his research around the mythologies of the 1969 Criminal Code reform.

August 1, 6 – 9 pm
Intimate Encounters ~ Animate Histories Exhibition Launch
Join us for the exhibition opening of Intimate Encounters ~ Animate Histories, featuring a live DJ set and a special drag performance.

August 8, 6 – 8 pm
Refusing Gentrification: Community Arts & Practice(s)
Activist-artist-educator Yusra Khogali leads a panel with local Regent Park artists on the politics of gentrification in their neighbourhood.

August 14, 6:30 – 7:30 pm
Reading Room: Queen’s Park Oral History Transcriptions
Join us for a collective reading and discussion of anonymous transcripts from artist Abdi Osman’s oral history research around cruising encounters in Queen’s Park.

September 12, 6:30 – 7:30 pm
Reading Room: Queen’s Park Oral History Transcriptions
Join us for a collective reading and discussion of anonymous transcripts from artist Abdi Osman’s oral history research around cruising encounters in Queen’s Park.

About Community Arts Space: What we long for

Grounded in the ability of clay to transform, the Community Arts Space is a platform for experimentation and socially-engaged art. Established in 2016, the project connects artists, makers, organizers, and residents through the creation of public projects that inspire social action. This year, the Gardiner is showcasing four public projects inspired by the theme “What we long for.” Learn more

The 519 is committed to the health, happiness, and full participation of the LGBTQ2S community. A City of Toronto agency and a registered charity with an innovative model of Service, Space and Leadership, The 519 strives to make a real difference in people’s lives while working to promote inclusion, understanding, and respect.