WHAT MAKES US SEEM SO QUEER? by Nicholas Demers

A tender, moving chapter of artist Nicholas Demers’ work is available to view during all of June, 2022 at THIS Gallery.


Viewing this exhibition feels like coming home to the friend I knew and loved while we were 5 years old. Some of my favourite memories of Nicky are from racing into our imaginations, still innocent to the brutal realities of being queer in society. Nicky - with a sparkling halo of associative creativity - invented intricate storylines and transformed upcycled toys, costumes, art materials, rocks and natural elements, and so much more into a map of his thriving imagination. 


As we got older, the map seemed to get harder to follow. Crushed by tragic loss and the twisted expectation to perform flat, transactional gender expressions, I lost sight of Nicky’s inner world of magic.


At THIS Gallery, we’re reunited with my childhood friend’s genius through the work of WHAT MAKES US SEEM SO QUEER? Nicky again shows the map to his thriving imagination using many of the same materials he brought to life in our childhood. Today, Nicky advocates for boundless creative inner life and presents a deep, dynamic, whole, complex gender expression and identity that reflects the true aliveness I’ve always known and loved in him.


THIS Gallery is located at 475 Main St, Vancouver. Please contact Shannon Pawliw via email at shannon@thisgallery.org to arrange your visit.

©
Using Format