Communion
2025-05-17 12:00 - 2025-06-30 17:00 (Africa/Cairo) | Seth Deacon Art Studios, 66 Albert Road, Woodstock, Cape Town, Western Cape, 7925, South Africa
Communion or Queer Communion is a project dedicated to remembering and celebrating the lives of marginalised queer people who were murdered for living as themselves. The project is a rejection of the attempts to dismiss, defile or simply erase LGBTQIA+ people. It started from a need to process on a personal level the emotional impact of news reports of hate crime murders that became increasingly frequent during the Covid pandemic. It has continued in part because of the engagement of those in the community who have reacted positively and encouraged me to continue.
I believe that hate crime and the manner in which authority and society respond to it act to create an environment of fear, as well as the sense that LGBTQIA+ lives are disposable and shameful. In spite of this queer people continue to live openly in defiance of attempts to control or police them into compliance. The works are meant to celebrate the simultaneously incandescent and ordinary lives that have been lost, as well as mourning, they also are a refusal of the tendency to place the inflicted pain, death and violence at the centre of how we remember them.
The project is also about visibility, asking us who is deserving of commemoration and who we are content to erase, sweep under the carpet. Many of these were create using photographs that were blurry or overly cropped, and in some sense the accessibilty of photographs has dictated the choice of portraits.
The project consists of a series of portraits that evoke a sense of the sacred through references to spiritual iconography to create spaces for contemplation and stillness. There are currently three forms of the project that are ongoing.
An installation consisting of a 14 sided metal framework that holds 13 portraits that are hand painted on cast acrylic sheeting and act in a similar way to stained glass windows, was first exhibited at the Spier Light Art Festival in 2021, and later at the Kopano gathering. This installation included portaits of Nonhlanhla Kunene; Sphamandla Khoza; Motshidi Pascalina (Pasca); Kirvan Fortuin; Sam Mbatha; Buhle Poswa; Lindokuhle Mapu; Nare Mphela; Bonang Gaelae; Lonwabo Jack; Phelokazi Mqathana; Lindokuhle Cele; Liyabona Mabishi.
A series of watercolour paintings on paper that aim to act as a commemorative archive. The watercolour paintings allow for a more responsive archive and will continue to evolve and grow in response to the environment as much as is possible.

WorldPride 2025 + OUR PRIDE Shorts & Arts Fest + Global Gatherings
2025-05-22 - 2025-06-30 | https://may17.org/event/worldpride-2025-our-pride-shorts-arts-fest-global-gatherings/
We invite IDAHOBIT event producers to May 17 Early Access to the official WorldPride 2025 virtual event. OUR PRIDE Short & Arts Fest. IDAHOBIT event producers are invited to submit details of their festival: http://ourpride.org/idahobit
Event producers will be invited to a join a Session to present highlights of their IDAHOBIT event, video and photos in the WorldPride June 1 – 9 virtual event.
It’s easy! Simply submit your event and we can schedule a day and time to make a live or pre-recorded presentation with a global audience to experience highlights from your IDAHOBIT event.
The focus is on Arts, Advocacy and Human Rights.
ABOUT THE EVENT:
From anywhere in the world, join the multifaceted 8th annual OUR PRIDE Short Film + Arts Festival, including online community gathering spaces and networking. The 40 day OUR PRIDE Shorts Fest opens May 22 through June 30, featuring 170+ short films from 25+ countries, spanning diverse genres, drama, comedy, romance, documentary, animation, experimental, poetry and more. Streaming anywhere on Android, iOS, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV and the web.
The festival’s virtual “Global Gatherings” are focused on arts, advocacy, and human rights, offering opportunities for community networking, discussions, and performances from various artists and activists, including live events featuring filmmakers and film screenings. The “Global Gatherings” feature online community gathering spaces and networking, short film watch party screenings, music, artwork, poetry, literature, digital media, performances, panel discussions, and community activism around the world.
Filmmakers, musicians, artists, writers, performers, digital creators, human rights activists and advocates present films, new music, a wide range of art, literature, and innovative community resilience and empowerment efforts. Community networking features and meeting spaces provide opportunities for building new relationships, creating alliances and instilling inspiration transcending borders.
