— Image: Isabel Chen —
Written by: Emily Ash Cutajar, Community Programmer
The Hatch Art Gallery’s first exhibition of the school year, Reveal/Reform, was ushered in on Tuesday, September 26, with a gallery opening party and open mic event. The exhibition showcased student art from a variety of disciplines unified by a shared purpose of exploring how the lasting impact of oppression and the “resilience found through community, collective culture, or individual creativity”.
The opening reception was a captivating and profound reflection of the exhibition itself, showcasing the unified community of UBC’s student activism brought together by their shared struggles under a capitalist society. Artists and activists alike shared poetry, songs, and stories reflecting their personal experiences of struggle. Inspiration from this sharing environment was drawn from Filipino practice of "Talambuhay," which translates to telling of one's story or autobiography.
The feeling of community was powerful and present in the atmosphere of the gallery opening. For Isabel (Bel) Chen, Director of the Hatch Gallery, this was a central goal for the event. When she applied for the Inspiring Community Grant, she emphasized the connection between art and community building by explaining that “art is the most unifying medium of communication and expression there is. We hope that participants will internalize this takeaway in their own community-building efforts”.
Community building was thoughtfully promoted in numerous ways throughout the planning and execution of the event. Notably, the exhibition provided a platform for sharing stories and celebrating the resistance of multiple student activist groups, including Sulong UBC, Black Void, and Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights. This collaboration was essential for furthering the community building goals of the exhibition. Bel reflected on this collaboration and felt “honored with being able to work with so many different groups whether they're activist, creatives, artists, and community builders from all different movements and communities and backgrounds so I see that at the end of the day were all human and our strength comes from unity, it comes from togetherness, and it comes from solidarity”.
Reveal/Reform was hosted in collaboration with UBC Arts and Culture District's annual ARTIVISM festival highlighting creative resistance. For Bel Chen, the connection between art and activism was inherent to the creation of the exhibition. As she shared, “I think activism has always been intertwined because there is always a political dimension to experiences... experience is what art captures... it’s the attempt to share that... to display that through a physical (or communicative) medium.”
Inspired to bring people together over a shared purpose or interest? Apply for the Inspiring Community Grant to fund your project with up to $500!