“Elisha”, Jega Delisca *cropped
Solo Exhibition by Jega Delisca
April 22nd 2021 - May 23rd 2021
About First Date:
First Date is the first-annual Glory Hole Gallery exhibition that showcases emerging GTA-based 2SLGBTQ+ artists in a solo exhibition at Whippersnapper Gallery. Since first forming in 2017, Glory Hole Gallery has always been committed to providing reduced barrier access for 2SLGBTQ+ artists of all ages and levels of experience to showcase their work in an exhibition. First Date continues this commitment by providing space and exhibition assistance for artists who are showcasing their work for the first time in a gallery, or who are looking to expand their exhibition experience.
Our inaugural First Date exhibition will feature the work of Scarborough-based artist, Jega Delisca, in the exhibition Don’t Go Unspoken. Don’t Go Unspoken will take place both online on the Glory Hole Gallery website and in-person at Whippersnapper Gallery, with limited, and scheduled viewing, and in-person viewing from the window on Dundas Street.
Don’t Go Unspoken will also involve an online gouache painting workshop and artist talk by Jega Delisca that will be free to the public on Saturday May 8th, 2021. Stay tuned to Whippersnapper Gallery website and Glory Hole Gallery for ongoing updates!
First Date, Don’t Go Unspoken, and Jega Delisca’s artist talk and gouache workshop has been generously funded by the Community One Foundation Rainbow Grants for LGBTQ+ artists and collectives.
Artist Statement About Don’t Go Unspoken By Jega Delisca:
I started painting to deal with the loss of my closest friend Elisha, and I don’t think I could’ve imagined that this grief would offer so much to explore. Elisha in many ways was the co-author to my life up until now, and in the chasm her death left behind, this whole new identity is forming. I’ve been obsessed with looking back and reflecting on the person I was before her and the person I’m becoming after her.
Don’t Go Unspoken is a collection of work reflecting on grief, friendship and childhood. These paintings illuminate the intimate moments between my three close friends, the joys of coming to age with and how and moving forward with grief.
About The Artist:
Jega Delisca is an emerging queer Haitian-American Toronto–based painter. His work explores the intimate relationships between him and his community, with close friends, and family his primary subjects.
