eighteen voices, one KALEIDOSCOPE
Joe Ishaq: not all heroes wear capes
On Friday April 18, 2026, the BFA visual arts students unveiled their very own thesis exhibition in the Armouries. The gallery titled KALEIDOSCOPE encompassed an explosion of unique, colourful, vibrant, neon, loud works of art of eighteen different fourth-year students. Being named after a children’s instrumental toy, it was clear the personalities of the artists and where they all came from shined through their work. It felt as though I was standing in a giant kaleidoscope transversing and billowing through stories. As I observed the other admirers of art, I asked myself, “does one look at the artwork first or the small label explanation of it through the artist’s work?”
Sixteen of the eighteen BFA thesis students at the exhibition.
I had the pleasure of speaking with some of the creative and courageous voices behind the work—not only making it, but keeping it alive.
Elise Potma: What Makes a Home? (Series)
Elise Potma, a student originally from Prague, had me living in slow motion as I stood staring at her immortalized paintings of places that she once called home. The soft yellow hues in her What Makes a Home? series matched the colour of her hair. It was evident she once stood center in those paintings of her childhood home, the underpainting wash of yellow will always be inside her and glow through her roots. Elise spoke delicately, “It feels weird, having other people see my paintings for the first time when I’ve been slowly shaping it all semester long. Makes me feel proud all over again.”
Kendal Mitchell emphasised the collective effort behind the show: “Everything you see was curated by all of us in collaboration—even the name of the gallery was decided through a democratic vote.” With hammers and ladders, these students took care of even the installation process.
The course she explained, was a two-part class. Each student had their very own in-studio space where the group critique walk happened multiple times per semester, giving a chance for honest feedback.
Art is vulnerable and it feels like you’re defending your baby. You’re a newborn mom and everyone has advice and it’s overwhelming. There is a strong personal love to all their creations, and you feel it in the atmosphere.
Kendal’s work centers on iconic Windsor places and involved a great deal of collaboration with the Windsor Facebook groups. She was able to find pictures of places that have ceased to exist. “I just wanted to talk about and explore the very city I live in,” she said. Her Tunisian crochet piece, Something Between Us, captures both the Ambassador Bridge and the emerging Gordie Howe Bridge—two crossings into American territory. Taking her around sixty hours to complete over the semester, the piece evolved alongside shifting political and social tensions. Interesting enough, it will continue to evolve, conceptually, as border tensions change and the landscape itself changes.
Her printed booklet was interactive and facilitated real life reactions to the exterior city we live in, showcasing the signage we pass by daily whilst also capturing the edginess of our city.
Kendal Mitchell: Wait…Windsor is (was?) kinda cool
Then there was Drea Madore, impossible to ignore, dressed in neon red Adidas sneakers, vermilion low-rise jeans and a graphic tee with her artwork Organ Man on it, just twisted me in. Wearing the colour scheme of her work, she embodied her art completely. She creates gory gutsy bold visceral work. Organ Man is as naked as can be, resisting the normalcy to cover up and hide, Drea says “Organ Man is proud to be themselves with their insides showing, demonstrating no fear of who they are.” To me, Organ Man is almost sliding off that canvas hoping to be seen for who they are which is not scary or grotesque, but so humanly true to the gut themselves. Two versions of Organ Man sat side by side: one happy, one anxious, coexisting. When I asked about the staple piercing Organ Man I received a brilliant answer: “I stapled the organs to the body because you’re stuck, there’s no escaping who you are”.
Drea Madore: Organ Man
This dreamlike habitat is so inviting and gives the illusion of coherence when all the pieces are so interestingly different. Their professor Karen Engle explains how beautifully exciting it is to watch her students take off into a momentum. “I love working with the visual arts students. We’re a bit removed and secluded by the main campus, but coming here, you’ll be sure to be blown away by their focus, labour, skill, and love that went into their process.”
KALEIDOSCOPE can still be lived in until April 25th. Do yourself a favour and go feel nostalgic, connected, sad, together, revived, and rejuvenated inside the Armouries. Browse the art market full of student-made postcards, prints, stickers, pins, bracelets, keychains, bookmarks, and more to be purchased.