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***Poetry and Art News Exclusive***
[FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE]
May 3rd, 2026
Poetry and Art News presents an interview with Toronto-based writer, Ophelia Chang, about "Silhouettes in a Small Room," a prose reflection on the Power of Words gallery exhibition and poetry reading.
The Power of Words exhibit runs until May 5th, 2026 at Storefront Gallery (4893a Dundas St W).
(Power of Words exhibit poster)
What are some interesting or important aspects of this work, how it came to be, or what it means, that you want people to know?
"Silhouettes in a Small Room", a prose piece, emerged from my experience participating in Power of Words, a group exhibition and poetry reading that brought together poets and multidisciplinary artists working with language as visual, spatial, and embodied practice. The writing is a reflective response to attending the gallery opening reception and encountering the work in community — hearing voices live, seeing language occupy physical space, and witnessing how text shifts meaning when shared aloud and collectively. Rather than documenting the event, the piece explores the emotional and sensory dimensions of the opening: the tempo of the room, the quiet moments between readings, and the way poetry can feel both intimate and communal at once. It considers how language lives not only on the page, but in bodies, pauses, and shared attention.
The work is intentionally observational and grounded, resisting spectacle in favour of attentiveness. It aims to honour the act of gathering — artists, curators, audiences, and words — and to reflect on how creative spaces allow language to momentarily slow time, hold memory, and create connection. While rooted in a specific exhibition, the piece speaks more broadly to the experience of encountering art together and to the fragile, necessary work of listening.
How does your city / region, your natural surroundings, and / or your cultural milieu influence this creative work, and your artistic practice as a whole?
I am based in Toronto, Ontario, and my practice is deeply influenced by working within community driven arts spaces across the Greater Toronto Area. These environments privilege accessibility, dialogue, and lived experience over polish alone, and they shape how I approach both writing and visual work.
The cultural density of the city — its overlapping communities, languages, and histories — informs my sensitivity to voice and presence. Many of my reflections arise from moving through galleries, readings, and neighbourhood spaces where art is encountered relationally rather than in isolation. This has led me to write in a way that is attentive to atmosphere, proximity, and the ethics of witnessing.
More broadly, my practice is shaped by regional arts ecosystems that emphasize participation and care. Whether working in prose, poetry, or mixed media, I am interested in how place holds stories, how art circulates within communities, and how creative work can remain porous — responsive to where and with whom it is made.
More about Ophelia Chang:
https://www.artsume.com/a/ophelia-chang
More about Power of Words:
https://www.artsetobicoke.com/events/power-of-words-online-poetry-reading-iii/
Keywords: poetry, creative nonfiction, community arts, gallery exhibitions, language
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