LIVING PORTRAITS invites Edmonton to meet local Black artists beyond the picture frame

LIVING PORTRAITS: Celebrating Black Artists in Edmonton turns viewing into participation. Behind each photograph, a QR code activates a short video of the artist “stepping out of the robe” and into their everyday clothes, introducing themselves in their own voice. This is when the gallery shifts from a place of looking to a space of meeting. 

Created as part of the Edmonton Anti-Black Racism Action plan, the project features 20 local creators — musicians, painters, writers, and performers — each paired with a red object that hints at their practice. The colour unites the portraits while the technology allows their individual stories to surface.

Rather than emphasizing origins outside the city, the exhibition grounds identity in Edmonton neighbourhoods and shared spaces. Visitors learn where artists create and what they value about their communities, building familiarity instead of distance. 

Scan these living portraits to realize these are not distant figures but people shaping the same city you move through every day. 

LIVING PORTRAITS will run from January 31 to June 16.