The Liu Lobby Gallery invites you to the latest exhibition in the ser
ies Roots and Reflections: On Personal
and Collective Identity. <
span data-contrast="auto">Weaving Belonging: Stories from Unceded Territori
es features artwork by Aaniya Asrani
co-created in conversation with Antje Ellermann\, Chief Janice George\, Elm
ir lsmayilov\, Gloria Tsui\, Sussan Yanez\, Valentina Voloshko and Willard
'Buddy' Joseph. Visit the gallery during its open hours from May 1 – July 1
1\, and be sure to join us for the closing reception on July 10 to particip
ate in an activation of the artwork.
Exhibition: May 1 - July 11
Closing Reception: July 10\, 6-8pm
Curated by Ellinee Nelson
About the Exhibition:
Weavin g Belonging explores and questions so cial belonging in Vancouver\, a place shaped by ongoing settler colonialism . Bringing together a range of perspectives—Indigenous folks rooted in this land and those from distant shores\, immigrants seeking new beginnings\, g enerational settlers\, and refugees in search of sanctuary—the exhibition n egotiates aspects of identity\, history and our shared existence on these s tolen lands.
This work extends from storytelling sessions Aaniya Asrani faci litated around reconciliation\, community care\, and shared responsibility on unceded territories. Each collaborator created their own drawing while s haring their stories and Asrani created a drawing in response. The small pr ints on view represent these individual drawings\, while the larger prints reflect the blending of the two. Together\, they grapple with personal and collective connections\, weaving fragments of their histories\, identities\ , and lived experiences into a collective "placemat of belonging." This pro cess highlights the fluidity of identity and the interconnectedness of our realities\, emphasizing that belonging is continuously redefined through re lationships and dialogue.
Weaving Belonging challenges viewers to reflect on their positionality and invites t hem to engage actively in reshaping their understanding of identity and bel onging.
To listen to the storytelling sessions click here
Arti st Bio:
Aaniya Asrani (b. 1992) is an interdisciplinary artist\, design er\, and visual storyteller from Bangalore\, India. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Visual Communication from the Srishti Institute of Art\, Design\, and Technology (2014) and a Master of Fine Arts from Emily Carr University (2019)\, where she also taught as sessional faculty.
Asrani’s practice focuses on exploring social and cultural systems through community-based art\, workshops\, and design projects. Based on the unceded territories of the Musqueam\, Squamish\, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations\, her work aims to create opportunities for dialogu e\, connection\, and shared understanding across diverse communities.
She serves as the Lead Commun
ity Artist at posAbilities\, where she is shaping an inclusive artist colle
ctive\, and leads Neighbourhood Organizing\, a Vancouver Coastal Health-fun
ded initiative bridging social divides. Asrani is also a published children
’s book author and illustrator\, expanding her impact across creative disci
plines.
Acknowledgements:
The work in this exhibition was created as p art of the Bel onging in Unceded Territory project. This project was initiated by UBC’s Centre for Migration Studies to bring s ettler colonialism into the centre of conversations on social belonging in Vancouver. The dialogue sessions facilitated by Aaniya Asrani at Immigrant Services Society of BC as part of this project\, aimed to address these que stions and served as the inspiration for her artist residency with STEPS Pu blic Art.
This work is generously supported by STEPS Public Art\, UBC’s Centre for Migration Studies\, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada\, the Canada First Research Excellence Fund\, Bridging Divides\, and Frog Hollow Neighbourhood House.
Important Links:
S
torytelling sessions: https://dri
ve.google.com/drive/folders/1rHb4-jFkGOAMR3hBRzTAwy6vpga3I0D5
Belonging in Unceded T
erritory project:
https://migration.ubc.ca/research/faculty-research-proje
cts/belonging-in-unceded-territory/
LOCATION:Lobby Gallery\, Liu Institute for Global Issues GEO:49.268776;-123.199987 URL;VALUE=URI:https://sppga.ubc.ca/events/event/the-liu-lobby-gallery-weavi ng-belonging/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://sppga.cms.arts.ubc.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2025/05/Weaving-Belonging_Promo-Graphics_WEB.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/Vancouver BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0800 TZOFFSETTO:-0700 DTSTART:20250309T100000 TZNAME:PDT END:DAYLIGHT END:VTIMEZONE END:VCALENDAR