Camberwell Space celebrates seven years of Queer Youth Art Collective
The exhibition follows a three-month residency with QYAC, in which 30 LGBTQIA+ artists aged 18-28 years old were selected in an open call and supported in developing a studio practice. The programme included workshops and mentorship from technicians and staff at Camberwell College of Arts.
Alongside new works developed during the residency, What Was, What Is, What Could Be showcases a growing archive documenting seven years of QYAC’s activity, including The QYAC Quilt (2023) – a collective textile work reflecting on the legacy of the AIDS Quilt; a collaboratively produced Recipe Book (2024); and Deck of Many Things (2025) – an artist-designed oracle deck created by 49 queer artists.
A newly commissioned textiles piece titled The Hanging Archive will be on display, 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), Proud Terriers (Huddersfield), and Curious Arts Middlesbrough Curious Young Creatives.
In parallel, QYAC is working closely with the Museum of Transology (MOT), the UK’s most significant collection of objects representing trans, non-binary and intersex people’s lives, to curate its archival material, ahead of it moving to Bishopsgate Institute following the exhibition. Through a series of workshops, MOT is supporting the QYAC cohorts in archival practices, including what to preserve and how to represent experiences.
More than a showcase, What Was, What Is, What Could Be marks a pivotal moment for QYAC as it transitions towards a model led by its young artists, alumni and wider community. Since 2019, the organisation has worked with hundreds of queer artists across the UK, presenting exhibitions with partners including Bluecoat Liverpool, Glasgow Zine Fest, Curious Arts (Newcastle), Studio Voltaire and QUEERCIRCLE.
Fred Lanka, Director at QYAC and Associate Lecturer at Camberwell, Chelsea and Wimbledon Colleges of Arts, says: “I hope people visit the show and realise the value of taking chances on young creatives and trust that wonderful things will erupt just by offering up the space and freedom to be creative.”
Ruth Lie, Public Programme Manager at Camberwell Space, says: “It’s been wonderful to see the ways in which both the work and confidence of the QYAC artists have developed during their time
in the Camberwell Space residency, and we look forward to seeing some of those outcomes within the exhibition. Now more than ever, it feels hugely important to think about how we support access into the creative sector, and to continually challenge our thinking about ourselves and the public
programme we offer, keeping inclusivity and accessibility at the forefront.”
Camberwell Space, University of the Arts London, Camberwell College of Arts, 45-65 Peckham Road, London, SE5 8UF.
Exhibition dates: 2 – 22 April 2026
Opening hours: Tues – Fri, 11.00am – 4.00pm
Saturday 18 April: 11.00am – 4.00pm
Opening Event: Thursday 2 April, 6 – 8.30pm
Full details and booking for free event: https://www.arts.ac.uk/whats-on/exhibition-opening-qyac-what-was,-what-is,-what-could-be
