A Rift in the Valley
Exhibition at Cultivate Art Commons; parallel program at Union Gallery
August 1 – 31, 2026
In conjunction with their exhibition, A Rift in the Valley, at Cultivate Art Commons, Kyle Vingoe-Cram and GHY Cheung will host an offsite discussion circle at Union Gallery.
Building on the exhibition’s themes of the real and imagined ways that racism and anti-queerness are felt in the precarious arts sector, this discussion will bring together up to 10 local queer and racialized arts practitioners. Scenes exhibited at Cultivate Art Commons will serve as starting points for the conversation, and participants will be invited to contribute to a collective document to be shared with a wider audience.
Participation is by invitation; if you have questions, please feel free to get in touch.
Kyle Vingoe-Cram, Oliver + Basil. Photo courtesy of the artist.
ABOUT A RIFT IN THE VALLEY
This exhibition presents drawings and drafts from the process of writing our graphic novel of the same name. A Rift in the Valley follows Oliver and Basil, two second-generation mixed-Chinese misfits, as they plot their swan song over the course of a last week together – an intervention at the local gallery where they work.
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Kyle Vingoe-Cram and GHY Cheung have been working together since 2015. They are currently co-writing and illustrating a graphic novel, A Rift in the Valley.
Kyle is a cartoonist and painter from Kjipuktuk-Halifax living in Ottawa. They are the author of Kettle Harbour (Conundrum Press, 2023), a queer family drama set in rural Nova Scotia. Kettle Harbour was nominated for The Nipper: The Doug Wright award for emerging talent.
GHY is a Hong Kong-born artist and writer. His work attends to queer bodies in the built environment.
READING LIST
Ahead of the discussion, participants are encouraged to read from a selection of key texts that will inform the conversation, although these will be jumping-off points for discussion and not required reading:
Before I Was a Critic I Was a Human Being by Amy Fung
Emergent Strategy: Shaping Change, Changing Worlds by adrienne maree brown
Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoningby Cathy Park Hong
Where to find the books in Katarokwi-Kingston:
Before I Was a Critic I Was a Human Being
Union Gallery front desk (for reading in the gallery)
Kingston Frontenac Public Library (hard copy)
Queen’s University Library (digital copy)
Emergent Strategy
Union Gallery front desk (for reading in the gallery)
Kingston Frontenac Public Library (hard copy)
Queen’s University Library (hard copy)
Minor Feelings
Kingston Frontenac Public Library (hard copy)
Queen’s University Library (hard copy available via interlibrary loan)
If you are looking to buy your own copy, shopping small and local is best. Novel Idea at 156 Princess St. has a book request form on their website.