Coded Image/Coded Text
June 3 - July 25, 2026
Hoda Afshar and Vernon Ah Kee
Curated by Liz Ikiriko
In partnership with the 26th annual imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival and the Indigenous Curatorial Collective (ICCA)
Coded Image/Coded Text centres on a four-channel film - Code Black/Riot - developed by Vernon Ah Kee, Hoda Afshar and Behrouz Boochani, originally commissioned for the 2026 Sydney Biennale. Created in collaboration with the advocacy organization Change the Record, the work confronts the crisis of mass incarceration of First Nations youth in Australia. Through collective storytelling, Code Black/Riot amplifies the voices and experiences of incarcerated Aboriginal young people while highlighting the power of cross-cultural collaboration. Its presentation on Turtle Island for the first time underscores shared colonial histories affecting Indigenous Peoples in Canada, Australia and New Zealand (Aotearoa), encouraging a tri-nation dialogue on justice and sovereignty.
The exhibition also features Ah Kee’s striking text-based paintings and Afshar’s film Remain, which documents the lives of stateless men who stayed on Manus Island, Papua New Guinea, after the closure of the immigration detention centre in 2017. Together, these works use photography, film and language to explore image making, collaboration and the enduring importance of narrative storytelling.
Coded Image/Coded Text is supported by National Show Systems, ShowTex and Smokestack.
Artist Bios
Hoda Afshar (b. Iran) is a visual artist whose practice explores the complex interplay between politics and aesthetics, knowledge and representation, visibility and violence. Her work interrogates the ways in which image-making can both reinforce and disrupt dominant narratives.
Vernon Ah Kee, a member of the Kuku Yalandji, Waanji, Yidinji, and Gugu Yimithirr peoples, whose conceptual text pieces, videos, photographs and drawings form a critique of Australian culture from the perspective of the Aboriginal experience of contemporary life.
Image Credit: Hoda Afshar and Vernon Ah Kee, Code Black/Riot, 2025 (still), four-channel digital video, colour, sound, 33 min. Photo: Hoda Afshar. © and courtesy the artists. Courtesy Milani Gallery
Public Programming
imagineNATIVE Art Crawl
Thursday, June 4, 2026
5PM-5:40PM
Join us for the imagineNATIVE Art Crawl!
Every year, imagineNATIVE collaborates with established and local artist-run galleries in downtown Toronto to present national and international exhibitions featuring Indigenous artists who push the boundaries and expectations of what Indigenous storytelling is. The Art Crawl began unofficially in the early 2000s and has been a staple of the Festival since 2012.
PWYC
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Exhibition Opening
Thursday, June 4, 2026
6PM-9PM
Please join us for the opening of Coded Image/Coded Text featuring the works of Australian-based Vernon Ah Kee (Kuku Yalandji/Waanji/Yidinji/Gugu Yimithirr) and Hoda Afshar (Iran).
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Image Codes: Panel Discussion with Vernon Ah Kee, Jason Baerg and Melissa Johns
Saturday, June 6, 2026
2PM-4PM
Gallery TPW, in partnership with the Indigenous Curatorial Collective (ICCA) hosts Image Codes, a panel discussion with artists Vernon Ah Kee, Jason Baerg and Melissa Johns, moderated by Jesse King.
Participant Bios
Raised Red River Métis in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, Jason Baerg is a registered member of the Métis Nation of Ontario, with family names including Moreau, Ledoux, Desjarlais, and, further back, Montour. An Indigenous activist, curator, educator, and interdisciplinary artist, he is Assistant Professor in Indigenous Practices in Contemporary Painting and Media Art at OCAD University, holds a BFA from Concordia University and an MFA from Rutgers University, and co-founded The Shushkitew Collective and The Métis Artist Collective, reflecting his commitment to community engagement. He has chaired organizations including the Indigenous Curatorial Collective and the National Indigenous Media Arts Coalition, and his visual art practice integrates digital interventions across drawing, painting, and new media installation. His international solo exhibitions include Canada House (London), the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, and the Digital Dome at the Institute of American Indian Arts (Santa Fe). He has served on numerous juries and received awards from the Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council, and the Toronto Arts Council. More information about his practice is available at JasonBaerg.ca.
Melissa Johns is a new media artist and educator from a mixed Kanien’keha:ka (Mohawk, Turtle Clan) and French Canadian background, born and based in Tkaronto. Melissa's visual practice manifests at the convergence of contemporary media, using interdisciplinary methods to collect, preserve, and transform fragments of the stories around her. Her practice is process-heavy, meticulously translating sentimental objects and family histories into new digital forms. Specializing in virtual reality installations, digital painting, and video art, Melissa’s work centers on investigating the narrative potential of these emergent channels.
Vernon Ah Kee, a member of the Kuku Yalandji, Waanji, Yidinji, and Gugu Yimithirr peoples, whose conceptual text pieces, videos, photographs and drawings form a critique of Australian culture from the perspective of the Aboriginal experience of contemporary life.
Jesse King is an Ojibwe curator and artist from Wasauksing First Nation, Eagle Clan. Based in Toronto, their work explores the many facets of identity, including discussions of queerness, gender, and the importance of cultural representation.
Their work has been exhibited locally and internationally, with exhibitions in Berlin, Germany, and Tampere, Finland. King’s work has also been featured in publications like Wonderland Magazine, Dauphine Magazine, and Photo Ed Magazine.
They have taken part in transformative curatorial residencies with daphne and article in Montreal, Quebec, where the travelling exhibition “Celestial Bodies” was created. Along with their most recent curatorial fellowship with Gallery TPW in Toronto, Canada, where the exhibition “Smoke Signals x Reflections” was developed and produced.
King has coordinated numerous exhibitions, programs, and screenings at imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival as their Exhibitions & Programming Coordinator. Anchoring themselves in celebrating all art forms through an Indigenous lens and collaborations with national and international artists. King worked as a Curatorial Assistant for Indigenous Programs, Youth Programs, and the Artist-in-Residence Projects at the Art Gallery of Ontario.
King is the newly appointed Curator at Market Gallery for the City of Toronto in the Economic Development & Culture, EDC Museum & Heritage Services Division. King engages with the City of Toronto’s art collection through an Indigenous lens.
In addition, King serves on the Board of Directors for the Indigenous Curatorial Collective (ICCA) and was a part of the Curatorial Committee for SNAP x ACT.