My name is Ladan Sahraei, Artist and Board Member of the Pride in Art Society, this year celebrating 24 years of gathering queer art in Vancouver. Art keeps us connected during the age of social distancing and the QAF and SUM Gallery remain steadfast in our commitment to artists amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
QAF 2022: Hauntings runs 3 weeks from June 18th to July 8th. What haunts you? Fear? Insecurity? Longing? In a Queer context, our very existence is haunting?a reminder of what colonial culture attempted to erase and an ephemeral suggestion of what future lays in wait across generations. This year’s QAF explores Hauntings in both playful and profound ways with a dynamic suite of visual art, performance, music, and literary events, from the depths of the Sun Wah Centre, up through Centre A: Vancouver International Centre For Contemporary Asian Art, On Main Gallery, and SUM gallery, to the rooftop overlooking historic Chinatown. We’re rekindling our longstanding partnership with the Roundhouse Community Arts & Recreation Centre and celebrating new friendships with the James Black Gallery and Coastal Jazz & Blues Society. QAF takes place on the traditional, unceded territory of the Coast Salish people, in particular the x?m??kw?y??m (Musqueam), s?wx?wú7mesh (Squamish) and s?l?ílw?ta? (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.
QAF 2022: Hauntings includes the Vanishing Act: Curated Visual Art Exhibition at the Sun Wah Centre galleries opening on June 18th and the Pride in Art Community Show at the James Black Gallery opening on June 20th. Exhibition hours are Wednesday through Saturday, 12 to 6 pm.
ASL interpretation with be provided for the following events:
ArtParty! | Sat Jun 18 | 7 pm | Festival Opening Reception | Sun Wah Centre Rooftop | ASL | Free
What better way to kick off QAF 2022 than from the rooftop of our Chinatown digs! Stunning views, phenomenal performances, delicious food and drink, and three floors of art to explore in Sun Wah Centre.
Catalina La O Presenta: Now With Me | Thu Jun 23 & Sat Jun 25 | 7 pm & 2 pm | Performance | Roundhouse Community Centre | ASL | Ticketed
Winner of the 2020 Fringe New Play Prize and created by the duo JK JK (khattieQ, musician/performer; Jenny Larson-Quiñones, director/writer), Catalina La O is a clown show, protest, and cabaret for the Queer communities, for the colonized body, and for Puerto Rico.
Reel Eerie | Sun Jun 26 | 7 pm | Media Art Screening | Roundhouse Community Centre | ASL & CC | Ticketed
An evening of the queerest of horror shorts, curated by CS Fergusson-Vaux and Ben Siegl. Hold on to your popcorn, there may be jump scares!
Vanishing Act: Curator Tour | Sat Jul 2 | 3 pm | Visual Art Tour | Sun Wah Centre | ASL | Free
Vanishing Act multiplies, expanding into Centre A Vancouver International Centre For Contemporary Asian Art; with a guided tour led by Founding Artistic Director Emeritus SD Holman, Guest Curator Adwait Singh, and visiting guest artists.
Please check out our website for more information about all festival events; queerartsfestival.com
Also check out our social media pages for updates and more information:
Facebook: qafvancouver
Twitter: QAFVancouver
Instagram: queerarts
