SUM Gallery Presents 'To Be Black, Is To Be Free' Exhibition
SUM Gallery Presents 'To Be Black, Is To Be Free' Exhibition and Emancipation Day Events
SUM gallery presents To Be Black, Is To Be Free, a duo exhibition by Vancouver-based artists Simone Chnarakis and Valérie d. Walker. Running from July 30 to August 14, 2026, at 268 Keefer Street (#425), this exhibition honors Emancipation Day by centering 2SLGBTQIA+ Black resilience, lineage, and liberation.
The featured works explore personal and collective histories through complementary visual mediums. Simone Chnarakis uses photography and video to document her chosen family within Vancouver's ballroom scene while paying tribute to her Jamaican grandmother. Alongside these digital works, Valérie d. Walker displays large-scale indigo-dyed textile installations that reframe indigo's historical context as a plantation commodity, drawing from her African Diasporic, Scottish, Japanese, and Indigenous Hawaiian ancestry.
Programming around the exhibition includes an opening reception, an evening drag takeover hosted at SUM gallery, and a spoken word session hosted downstairs at the Vancouver Black Library.
TICKETS & INFO
Exhibition Opening Reception: To Be Black, Is To Be Free
Date & Time: Thursday, July 30, 2026 | 6:00 PM – 9:30 PM
Location: SUM gallery (268 Keefer St #425, Vancouver, BC)
Admission: Free (Pre-registration required via Eventbrite)
The duo exhibition To Be Black, Is To Be Free brings together photographic, videographic, and textile works by Simone Chnarakis and Valérie d. Walker.
Simone Chnarakis presents photographic and videographic pieces offering a tribute to her chosen family within Vancouver's ballroom community alongside an intimate homage to her Jamaican grandmother. Valérie d. Walker showcases large-scale indigo-dyed fibre works that reclaim indigo's legacy as a plantation commodity, creating an immersive space informed by her African Diasporic, Scottish, Japanese, and Indigenous Hawaiian heritage.
SUM gallery is open Tuesday through Saturday, noon to 6:00 PM.
Emancipation Day Drag Takeover
Date & Time: Saturday, August 1, 2026 | 7:00 PM – 10:00 PM
Location: SUM gallery (268 Keefer St #425, Vancouver, BC)
Admission: Free (18+ | Pre-registration recommended via Eventbrite)
SUM gallery hosts a drag takeover celebrating Black 2SLGBTQIA+ expression and performance art. Featured performers include Mx. Bukuru, Batty Banks, and Acacia from Vancouver's Haus of Bukuru. The evening also features Mx. Jackson and Call Me Keeks from Edmonton's Haus of Ebonii, music by DJ O Show, and a performance by burlesque artist Rainbow Glitz.
This event is presented in partnership with Hogan's Alley Society and the Vancouver Black Library.
Emancipation Day Spoken Word Event
Date & Time: Sunday, August 2, 2026 | 2:00 PM – 4:30 PM
Location: Vancouver Black Library (268 Keefer St #072, Vancouver, BC)
Admission: Free (Pre-registration required via Eventbrite)
The programming continues downstairs at the Vancouver Black Library with an afternoon of spoken word and community reflection. Featured speakers Valérie d. Walker, Siobhan Barker, and April Sumter-Freitag take the mic to discuss the history and lived experiences of Black freedom and liberation.
Black attendees are invited to participate in the open mic by sharing their own written works or excerpts from Black authors, poets, and writers. Everyone in the community is welcome to attend.