QAF 2023: Queers in Space
June 17 – 28
Vancouver’s Roundhouse Community Centre, SUM gallery, James Black Gallery, VAG North Plaza
Futurism and fantasy have always been cornerstones of the 2SLGBTQIA+ experience. What better place to manifest ourselves as the free and empowered superbeings we truly are? For many queer people, the Future is a place where dreams are realized; for others, it’s a vital sanctuary from a present-day reality that does not include them. While Queer Arts Festival’s 2023 theme “Queers in Space” may evoke cosmic camp and otherworldly voyages (and this festival gleefully delivers both!), we take these words very seriously as well: this is just as much a call to explore and celebrate the space we occupy, each and every day; to honour our queer elders on whose shoulders we stand; and to celebrate our future, queer trajectories.
$69 festival passes give you access to all of the QAF 2023: Queers in Space lineup at a savings of 50% off regular priced admission. Quantities are limited.
To purchase single tickets or register for free events, please navigate to each event page by clicking on the event banners or titles below, or visit our Eventbrite page.
Festival Schedule:
ArtParty! | Jun 17 | 7pm | Gala Opening Reception | Roundhouse Exhibition Hall | Ticketed | ASL
QAF 2023 officially launches into orbit at the Roundhouse. Take in our incredible Visual Art Exhibition curated by Zandi Dandizette, enjoy delicious food and drink, gyrating to the spins of the incredible DJ Nea Stone Fox, and celebrate with the Queerdos of our community!
bumfuzzled monachopsis: innerspace out | Jun 17 – 28 | 9am – 9pm daily | Roundhouse Exhibition Hall | Free
Queer Arts Festival’s signature Visual Art Exhibition, curated by artist Zandi Dandizette.
Cosmic Connections: Queer Indigenous Astronomy, A View from Above and Below | Jun 17 – 28 | 9am – 9pm daily | Roundhouse Exhibition Hall | Free
Augmented Reality artist Preston Buffalo secretly brings the Roundhouse to life with Indigiqueer futurisms that are invisible and inaudible to the naked eye and ear but revealed when your phone scans a QR code. Presented in partnership with Little Chamber Music.
QAF + Talking Stick Festival: a day in celebration of Two-Spirit and Indigiqueer Artists | June 18
QAF partners up with our dear friends at Full Circle: First Nations Performance to present a trilogy of events centred on Two-Spirit and Indigiqueer artistry.
- Love After the End: Joshua Whitehead & Friends | Jun 18 | 3pm | Roundhouse Performance Centre | Ticketed | ASL
Love After the End: An Anthology of Two-Spirit and Indigiqueer Speculative Fiction is an exciting and ground-breaking fiction collection showcasing a number of emerging and established Two-Spirit and Indigiqueer writers, edited and compiled by acclaimed writer Joshua Whitehead. Whitehead joins us with fellow visionary authors Nathan Adler, jaye simpson, and Nazbah Tom for an afternoon that demonstrates how Queer Indigenous communities can bloom and thrive through utopian narratives.
- Cinq-à-Sept Reception | Jun 18 | 5 pm | Roundhouse Exhibition Hall | Free
Join us for a book signing with participating authors brought to you by Massy Books and DJ set courtesy of Full Circle: First Nations Performance.
- Virago Nation Burlesque | Jun 18 | 7pm | Roundhouse Performance Centre | Ticketed
The day concludes with a powerful performance by the badass Indigiqueer burlesque babes of Virago Nation! Please note: this performance is 18+.
Pride in Art Community Exhibition | Jun 19 – Jul 8 | James Black Gallery | Free
Our celebrated Community Arts Exhibition returns to the James Black Gallery. This event is the bedrock of our festival, featuring outstanding artists from our local 2SLGBTQIA+ communities. Join us for the opening at the JBG on June 19 from 7 – 10pm.
Odera Igbokwe: New Yams Festival | Exhibition Opening, Jun 22 | 7pm | SUM gallery | Exhibition runs Jun 22 – Jul 28, Tuesday – Saturday 12 – 6pm | Free
SUM gallery presents a solo exhibition by Odera Igbokwe, an illustrator and painter who celebrates the magic of the African Diaspora and QTBIPOC. New Yams Festival is a direct reflection, response, and Queer reclamation of The New Yam Festival of the Igbo people.
Sujit Vaidya: Breathe In The Fragrance | Jun 23 | 7pm | Roundhouse Performance Centre | Ticketed
Breathe In The Fragrance is Sujit Vaidya’s celebration of erotic ritual — of taste, of smell, of song, of dance, of sensations awakened by Jasmine — to make space for the in-betweenness of things to exist. Combining traditional Indian dance elements with modern choreography and queer eroticism, Breathe In The Fragrance features Vaidya in collaboration with dancers & live musicians.
Curator Tour | Jun 24 | 2pm | Visual Art Tour | Roundhouse Exhibition Hall | Free | ASL
Take a guided tour through our Visual Art Exhibition at the Roundhouse Community Centre. This tour is led by QAF curator Zandi Dandizette.
Witch Prophet | Jun 25 | 5:30pm | šxʷƛ̓ənəq Xwtl’e7énḵ Square – Vancouver Art Gallery North Plaza | Free
Queer Arts Festival partners with Vancouver International Jazz Festival for the second year in a row to present Witch Prophet: the evolution of Queer, Ethiopian/Eritrean, Toronto-based singer-songwriter Ayo Leilani. Think Erykah Badu meets Lauryn Hill meets Portishead.
Hymnen an die Nacht: Claude Vivier Retrospective | Jun 27 | 7pm | Roundhouse Performance Centre | Ticketed
In 1983, Canada’s queerest and most cosmic composer, Claude Vivier, shockingly left this world at the age of 34, murdered by a rent boy in Paris. In this retrospective, we commemorate the 40th anniversary of his death with performances by the Standing Wave Ensemble, soprano Sarah Jo Kirsch, and pianist Rachel Iwaasa, along with musical tributes by composers Rodney Sharman, Matthew John Knights and Gabriella Yorke.
Glitter is Forever | Jun 28 | 7pm | Closing Reception | Roundhouse Exhibition Hall | Free | ASL
Our 16th Queer Arts Festival comes home to dock in spectacular fashion, featuring drag performances by the House of Rice and music by DJ Bella Sie.
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