What Was, What Is,
What Could Be
Camberwell Space is pleased to present What Was, What Is, What Could Be - an exhibition by Queer Youth Art Collective (QYAC) following on from their three-month residency.
Creatives aged between 18-28 were selected through an open call and introduced to what a studio practice could look like. This included workshops and mentorship from technicians as well as other members of staff at Camberwell College of Arts.
This exhibition marks a turning point, handing the reins of the organisation over to the young artists, alumni and community which has surrounded QYAC. Since 2019, QYAC has curated four group exhibitions with hundreds of queer artists from across the UK including at Bluecoat Liverpool, Glasgow Zine Fest, Curious Arts Newcastle, Studio Voltaire and QUEERCIRCLE.
The work of the residents in the exhibition is accompanied by an archive of seven years of QYAC, curated in partnership with The Museum of Transology (MoT). The archive will then move to Bishopsgate Institute following the show.
Alongside this, is a newly commissioned textiles piece called The Hanging
Archive, co-produced by QYAC attendees, facilitators and alumni as well as contributions from The Brunswick Centre LGBTQ+ yOUTh Service (Kirklees and Calderdale), Out Together (Leeds), HuGG Huddersfield Gay Group, Frutti Tutti (Leeds) and Proud Terriers (Huddersfield).
With generous support from Arts Council England, David Family Foundation, UAL and Awards for All.
Photos by Mati Granica