Britannia Art Gallery
Black History and Futures Month - Group Art Exhibition
This is a group show between Artists Tolu Ayoka , Karine Zamor and Black Out Collective. Each Artist / Artist group will be showcasing something different. The Exhibit will be open February 5th and will be up until the 28th of February.
The 3 Artists / Artist group will also be apart of an Artist talk in the gallery on Wednesday Feb 19th from 5:00-6:30PM. After the Artist talk we will continue the celebrations at the 55+ Centre, feel free to join us.
Karine Zamor - Concrete Ideas: Hard Art For Your Soft Heart Vol.1
About the exhibition
Exploring the fusion of raw industrial materials with nature's hues, this exhibition showcases a collection of handmade cement homeware and gardenware. Each piece, from mini pots to vases, is meticulously crafted and often dyed using homemade organic dyes, creating a unique contrast between the ruggedness of cement and the softness of natural colours. The collection highlights the harmony between modern design and sustainable craftsmanship, offering functional art that brings an earthy yet refined aesthetic into everyday living spaces.
ARTIST BIO
Karine Zamor is a creative artisan specializing in handmade cement homeware and gardenware. With a passion for blending industrial materials with natural aesthetics, they craft unique mini pots, vases, and decorative pieces. Each item is thoughtfully designed and dyed using homemade organic dyes, creating a beautiful harmony between rugged cement and vibrant, eco-friendly color. Their work reflects a deep respect for both craftsmanship and sustainability, offering pieces that are as functional as they are artistic.
Karine Zamor is a creative artisan specializing in handmade cement homeware and gardenware. With a passion for blending industrial materials with natural aesthetics, they craft unique mini pots, vases, and decorative pieces. Each item is thoughtfully designed and dyed using homemade organic dyes, creating a beautiful harmony between rugged cement and vibrant, eco-friendly color. Their work reflects a deep respect for both craftsmanship and sustainability, offering pieces that are as functional as they are artistic.
The BlackOut Collective
The BlackOut Collective (supported by Van Vogue Jam Arts Society since 2024), is a grassroots organization run by and for Black folk with the goal of making Ballroom accessible to Black folk and youth in the Metro Vancouver area. Founded in 2024, the BlackOut Collective hosts monthly open sessions for Black 2SLGBTQI+, serving as a space to be seen, celebrated, and to practice their respective categories in Ballroom, modelled after the underground New York Ballroom Scene that first emerged in the 1960s.
BALLROOM TERMS AND DEFINITIONS
Important to note
These are brief descriptions of Ballroom as well as some terms to know for our exhibit. It is important to note that doing your own research on this culture is important and to use these terms and descriptions only as a brief history lesson as well as a starting point to your own personal knowledge of Ballroom.
Ballroom : Ballroom culture, drag ball culture, the house-ballroom community, and similar terms describe an underground queer subculture, founded by black trans and queer folks, in which people "walk" (i.e., compete), perform, dance, lip-sync, and model in different categories, which are designed to simultaneously epitomize and satirize gender constructs, occupations, and social classes, while also offering an escape from reality.
Category participants are required to “walk” one by one to receive full approval from all judges, known as ‘receiving your 10s’. Competitors are judged on their abilities, “effect” (costumes, appearance, theatrics, presentation), and perceived “realness” (embodied and/or visual believability, authenticity). Those who make their 10s battle one on one against each other for trophies, prizes, and glory.
Face : To serve “face”, means to highlight certain features on your face that make you feel beautiful and set you apart from the person you may be battling against.
LSS : “LSS” stands for Legends, Statements and Stars which refers to the opening part of a ball where the MC recognizes and highlights prominent individuals within the ballroom community, essentially giving them their moment to shine on the runway and be acknowledged for their contributions to the scene.
Old Way : Old way refers to the original style of voguing, characterized by precise, symmetrical movements, fluid lines, and poses that often resemble fashion magazine imagery.
Important to note
These are brief descriptions of Ballroom as well as some terms to know for our exhibit. It is important to note that doing your own research on this culture is important and to use these terms and descriptions only as a brief history lesson as well as a starting point to your own personal knowledge of Ballroom.
Ballroom : Ballroom culture, drag ball culture, the house-ballroom community, and similar terms describe an underground queer subculture, founded by black trans and queer folks, in which people "walk" (i.e., compete), perform, dance, lip-sync, and model in different categories, which are designed to simultaneously epitomize and satirize gender constructs, occupations, and social classes, while also offering an escape from reality.
Category participants are required to “walk” one by one to receive full approval from all judges, known as ‘receiving your 10s’. Competitors are judged on their abilities, “effect” (costumes, appearance, theatrics, presentation), and perceived “realness” (embodied and/or visual believability, authenticity). Those who make their 10s battle one on one against each other for trophies, prizes, and glory.
Face : To serve “face”, means to highlight certain features on your face that make you feel beautiful and set you apart from the person you may be battling against.
LSS : “LSS” stands for Legends, Statements and Stars which refers to the opening part of a ball where the MC recognizes and highlights prominent individuals within the ballroom community, essentially giving them their moment to shine on the runway and be acknowledged for their contributions to the scene.
Old Way : Old way refers to the original style of voguing, characterized by precise, symmetrical movements, fluid lines, and poses that often resemble fashion magazine imagery.
Vogue: Vogue is a highly stylized freestyle dance born from house music and the queer clubs of Harlem, New York in the late 1980s. It is a camp style of dance that presents gender as a performance where dancers embody the spirit of extravagance in a way that is purposefully exaggerated and artificial. From applying makeup/"beating the face", to styling hair, donning extravagant clothing, and throwing shade through physical movement, not only does Vogue transform into a physical and emotional way to express stories and fantasies but it becomes a tool in learning to embody one's best self.
Runway: “Runway” is a ballroom category where walkers walk down a runway in the style of a fashion model in hopes of taking out their opponent by having a better look in combination with a great, clean walk.
Houses: The world of Ballroom also extends beyond the extravagant events as many participants in ball culture also belong to groups known as "houses", a longstanding tradition in queer racialized communities, where chosen families of friends live in households together, forming relationships and community to replace families of origin from which they may be estranged.
Houses are led by "mothers" and "fathers" who are usually older or established members of the ballroom scene, who are able to provide guidance and support for their house "children”.
History of Ballroom
Title: Icon Mother Crystal Labeija
Creator: Junior Labeija Date Created: 1979 Golden Era: 1967-1973 Black and Brown trans women join together to create a space of their own An Act of Resistance to Racism Black, Brown queer, and trans women felt overlooked and even demeaned in the downtown New York drag scene of the 1960's and early 70s. In 1972, a Black trans woman, Crystal LaBeija, created the first ball for Black people. That started Ballroom, and its beginning: the Golden Era. Start of Ballroom and House Culture In her critique of drag pageants unjustly awarding white performers, Crystal Labeija sparked what is one of the most significant cultural movements of the 20th century. |
Title: House of Xtravaganza
Creator: Luna Luis Ortiz
Date Created: 1997/1998
Black Era: 1991-1997
"Exposed and Dying:" Ballroom is Propelled into Mainstream Culture, as the Community is Ravaged by HIV/AIDS
The Evolution of Voguing: Old and New Way
A new way of voguing is pioneered by Willi Ninja. The “old way” form of voguing style was rooted in hip hop/breakdancing. The “new way,” represented a more fluid style that emphasized flexibility, stretching, and plasticity.
The Great Migration of Ballroom
Despite the devastation of HIV/AIDS in the Black Era, Ballroom persevered and expanded to Boston, Miami, Richmond, Atlanta, even extending to Los Angeles and Oakland.
Creator: Luna Luis Ortiz
Date Created: 1997/1998
Black Era: 1991-1997
"Exposed and Dying:" Ballroom is Propelled into Mainstream Culture, as the Community is Ravaged by HIV/AIDS
The Evolution of Voguing: Old and New Way
A new way of voguing is pioneered by Willi Ninja. The “old way” form of voguing style was rooted in hip hop/breakdancing. The “new way,” represented a more fluid style that emphasized flexibility, stretching, and plasticity.
The Great Migration of Ballroom
Despite the devastation of HIV/AIDS in the Black Era, Ballroom persevered and expanded to Boston, Miami, Richmond, Atlanta, even extending to Los Angeles and Oakland.
Title: Pioneers Junior Labeija, Michael Princess, & Erskine Christian
Creator: Junior Labeija
Date Created: 1983
White Era: 1974-1985
Pioneering era of Ballroom
Erskine Christian
In 1974 Erskine Christian (in red), founder of the House of Christian, forever changed the landscape of Ballroom by introducing categories for masculine performers. He won this first category, Model Face, setting the stage for a staple of ballroom, the Butch Queen performance.
A Broadening of Ballroom Culture With the inception of Model Face and Butch Queen performance, participation in balls dramatically expanded. This revolutionized the number of people who attended balls, and expanded houses to allow instruction in non-feminine performance categories.
First Shadows of the Epidemic
As the ballroom community continued to grow in size and technique in New York, the HIV/AIDS Epidemic began to unfold with the first cases diagnosed in Los Angeles in 1981. This disease would forever change the face of Ballroom and the LGBTQ+ community in America.
Creator: Junior Labeija
Date Created: 1983
White Era: 1974-1985
Pioneering era of Ballroom
Erskine Christian
In 1974 Erskine Christian (in red), founder of the House of Christian, forever changed the landscape of Ballroom by introducing categories for masculine performers. He won this first category, Model Face, setting the stage for a staple of ballroom, the Butch Queen performance.
A Broadening of Ballroom Culture With the inception of Model Face and Butch Queen performance, participation in balls dramatically expanded. This revolutionized the number of people who attended balls, and expanded houses to allow instruction in non-feminine performance categories.
First Shadows of the Epidemic
As the ballroom community continued to grow in size and technique in New York, the HIV/AIDS Epidemic began to unfold with the first cases diagnosed in Los Angeles in 1981. This disease would forever change the face of Ballroom and the LGBTQ+ community in America.
Title: Icon Legendary Mother Paris Dupree
Creator: Chantal Regnault Date Created: 1990 White Era: 1974-1985 Pioneering era of Ballroom White Era's Imprint on Ballroom The White Era marked by the creation of the first categories for male-identitied performers, expanded participants in ballroom, and the creation of vogue itself. The Birth of Vogue Paris Dupree, mother of the House of Dupree, is credited with the creation of Vogue. Vogue takes its name from the magazine, as it is also characterized by model-like poses and stylized movements. |
Title: Legendary Amiyah Scott Mizrahi-Maison Margiela, getting her 10's for Face
Creator: Thomas (Derek Prada-Ebony) Murphy Date Created: 2009 Green Era: 2005-2010 The Internet Powerfully Changes Ballroom. Ballroom and Ball Culture are Now a Click Away, and a Global Audience is Learning its Magic An Era of Change The Green Era is an era marked by the United States' electing its first Black president. A Black family is now in the White House. At the same time, marriage equality is becoming a new legal reality, in more and more states Icon Leiomy Miyake Mugler "Wonder Woman" Leiomy changed and revolutionized vogue in this era. She changed what performance is to this day, pioneering the 360 dip which has been imitated and duplicated. Leiomy reached mainstream popularity because of her innovative, unprecedented technique, talent, & performance. |
Tolu Ayoka, Between Here & Elsewhere
Between Here and There exists in a liminal space, before acceptance, before change— while reckoning with what is left when loss takes shape around you. This piece captures the weight of transition and through the ache of despair and burnout. The subject is suspended between stillness and motion, mirroring their solemn yet chaotic reality with a repressed tension that stunts complete metamorphosis.
Rendered in charcoal, ink, and acrylic, this work speaks to existing between a static and flow state; feeling and numbness, presence and absence as grief unmoors us. The patterned curtain pays homage to Ayoka’s late grandmother and her home— a now tangible memory of that place of whimsy and wonder which marked massive shifts in the artist's life. But life shifts without warning, leaving us behind, and warping our reality to the point of disconnection and dissociation from which the return requires true awareness. Despite the subjects stoic expression, their loose braids double as burning candlewicks– a symbolic reminder that this state cannot hold forever. In Between Here and There, is the prequel to reaching radical acceptance of what is, what isn’t any longer and ultimately what is next.
Rendered in charcoal, ink, and acrylic, this work speaks to existing between a static and flow state; feeling and numbness, presence and absence as grief unmoors us. The patterned curtain pays homage to Ayoka’s late grandmother and her home— a now tangible memory of that place of whimsy and wonder which marked massive shifts in the artist's life. But life shifts without warning, leaving us behind, and warping our reality to the point of disconnection and dissociation from which the return requires true awareness. Despite the subjects stoic expression, their loose braids double as burning candlewicks– a symbolic reminder that this state cannot hold forever. In Between Here and There, is the prequel to reaching radical acceptance of what is, what isn’t any longer and ultimately what is next.
ARTIST BIO
Tolu Ayoka is a Nigerian visual artist currently living in Vancouver whose works serve as an ode to their inner child through otherworldly explorations of Black and West-African identities in alternative spaces. The vision behind their art is heavily informed by muses in life and death that have guided their journey, inviting their audience into a world with vibrant elements of surrealism, Afrocentrism, and Black, queer culture.
Tolu’s art has grown beyond self-reflection, now mirroring the wider world around them as they navigate their longing for connection to their community and lineage. Each piece brings forward a distinct visual language that tells a story—vivid, intricate, and charged with expression; their work shifts seamlessly across mediums to bridge personal history with collective experience, making the intimate feel less isolating.
Wá Óri Rẹ (Find your Head)
“In Yoruba ideology, the *Ori* is the resting place of our higher consciousness, an esoteric essence that must be honored and aligned for one to move (forward) with clarity and purpose. To lose touch with one’s *Ori* is to drift, untethered from both lineage and self. *Ori* also translates to “head” in Yoruba, and its absence here creates an unsettling quiet where recognition should be. Without a head, there is no real sense of self— a dysphoric rupture that seeps into one’s physical, mental, and emotional being.
While the language may hold space for this fluidity, Wa Ori Re (Find Your Head) is not only a warning against the quiet erosion of identity in colonized lands and minds but also a reflection on return. The figure’s form is both familiar and estranged, its back folding into the front—disoriented, but not beyond recognition. White lines grasp the air before the skin, echoes of something reaching out, seeking. This piece is a call to return home— to the self, before we lose sight of where we began.” |
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Rán Ara Ẹ Lọ́wọ́ (Give Yourself a Hand)
In Rán Ara Ẹ Lọ́wọ́, self-support becomes a ritual of reclamation. The subject gazes into a quirky mirror with an honest expression and their left hand hovering mid-air, as if silently inquiring of the metaphysical world and expecting an answer to fall into their palm. In the foreground, a dismembered hand— possessing more life than the subject’s own sits on the vanity— remindin us that even when we feel fragmented, and even when it takes sacrifice, the capacity to support ourselves somehow endures.
This piece is a symbol of self-nurture that takes a peek at the artist’s journey toward self-reliance and they reclaim wholeness through gentle acts of self-care. Rán Ara Ẹ Lọ́wọ́ celebrates the empowering act of choosing to help oneself as the first step toward healing is to just “give yourself a hand.” In contrast to works where disconnection and solitude reign, here the visible act of reflection invites self (re)discovery and asserts that a desired reality can be created and sustained while still embracing one’s whimsy.
This piece is a symbol of self-nurture that takes a peek at the artist’s journey toward self-reliance and they reclaim wholeness through gentle acts of self-care. Rán Ara Ẹ Lọ́wọ́ celebrates the empowering act of choosing to help oneself as the first step toward healing is to just “give yourself a hand.” In contrast to works where disconnection and solitude reign, here the visible act of reflection invites self (re)discovery and asserts that a desired reality can be created and sustained while still embracing one’s whimsy.