Seen /Unseen


Where: Atelier and Microcinema
When: 14:00-0:00

Curator: Olivia Onuk

Artists:
Aly Joy-Lily McDonald
Chyme, Dominique
LuCille Giwa
Luniverse.JPG
Yomi Orimoloye

Lighting and media designer: MvB


A multidisciplinary exhibition and artist talkback exploring the paradox of visibility for Black artists.

Seen / Unseen examines the complex relationship Black artists have with visibility—how being seen can be affirming, but also leaves one vulnerable to misinterpretation, surveillance, and commodification. Through performance, storytelling (music and poetry), media, and visual art, the exhibition invites attendees into a space where seeing and being seen becomes an active, dynamic exchange.

It asks:
How do we control, or attempt to control how we are perceived?
What does it mean to be truly seen versus merely watched?
How does being seen or unseen shape an artist’s creative freedom and self-expression?

Presented in partnership with the Ottawa Black Artists Kollective.
Yomi Orimoloye, Which Way Is Forward (2025)