Haven, 2024, lightbox, video
Union Gallery, Kingston, ON
Photo credit: Chris Miner
Babe, yr my religion explores the gay bar as sacred space. These sites of gathering, celebration, mourning, and protest hold vital importance within the histories of queer and trans socializing and political organizing, yet many of these brick-and-mortar institutions continue to be shuttered. Crossman engages in cross-generational dialogue through queer film, television, and canonical texts such as Leslie Feinberg’s 1993 book “Stone Butch Blues” - an autobiographical novel that deals with gender, class, queerphobia, transphobia, antisemitism, and police brutality in the last half of the 20th century. This solo exhibition consists of a new body of work by Crossman that pays homage to queer literature and media, and the often-precarious spaces that helped keep our histories alive, while simultaneously envisioning more inclusive liberatory futures.
Crossman would like to acknowledge the support of the Ontario Arts Council and Superframe in the creation and presentation of this work.
Artist Bio:
Adrien Crossman (they/them) is a queer and trans white settler artist, educator, and curator residing on the traditional territory of the Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabe in so called Hamilton, Ontario. They hold an MFA in Visual Art from the University of Windsor (2018), and a BFA in Integrated Media with a Minor in Digital and Media Studies from OCAD University (2012). Taking cues from queer and critical theory, as well as their own lived experience, Crossman explores the affective qualities of queerness (what queerness feels like), attempting to embody nuanced and complex ideas and emotion through physical art objects and installation spaces. They co-founded and co-run the online arts publication off centre, and act as director of Orchid Contemporary, an independent gallery they run out of the garage in their backyard. In 2025 Crossman was awarded a Hamilton Arts Award in the Creator category and they are an Assistant Professor in the School of the Arts at McMaster University.
Opening Reception Special Feature / Gay Bar: Sep 12, 8-11pm
Stay tuned for more information about our Artist Talk on Nov 22.
A special thanks goes to the Ontario Arts Council and Superframe for their support of Adrien Crossman’s work.