Introduction – Rachel Collier-Wilson and Trish Fried Rice
About the Exhibition: Surface tension suggests both resilience and fragility: a force that holds, yet can be broken. For queer bodies and identities, how we appear becomes a manifesto — a way of living visibly in a world that often politicises our existence. We appear to create a certain unease in the mainstream, as our lives and existence are politicised and confrontational. Visibility itself becomes an art of defiance.
Gab Astorga : The Man in The Middle of The Phylogenetic Tree: How Genomics Exonerated “Patient Zero”
Introduced by Sam Rooke
This talk explores how stories and data shape public health, using the myth of “Patient Zero” during the HIV/AIDS epidemic as a case study in how incomplete science and narrative bias can harm communities. I show how genome sequencing later corrected that story, exonerating Gaétan Dugas and transforming how we understand outbreaks. From there, the talk examines how modern genomics and data science now enable precision medicine and improved health outcomes for LGBTQ+ communities. Ultimately, I argue that ethical data, rigorous science, and language use are essential for keeping queer communities protected.
Omar Al Khatib : Resisting settler colonialism: queer Palestinian reflections amidst genocide
Introduced by Zana Baklava
After many years of organizing and research within an intensely violent context under a brutal settler-colonial regime, we join Omar in a conversation on queerness, Palestine, and genocide. The talk seeks to grapple with the complex contradictions of this reality, and invites collective reflection at a moment when imperialism and colonialism are becoming ever more violent.