Peep the Scene at the Art Gallery of Ontario's "Black Mystic" First Thursday Party

The Art Gallery of Ontario kicked off June Pride month by inviting Kyisha Williams and Syrus Marcus Ware of Blackness Yes! (organizers of Blockorama) to curate last week's First Thursday event, dubbed "Black Mystic," as a dedication to to black queer resilience and transformation. The show featured several local talents from many disciplines and ended with headlining performance by Junglepussy. Photographer Setti Kidane captured the concert and party for PAPER, as well as Junglepussy, her DJ Joey LaBeija and Teoni from Toronto's bizZarh's impromptu photoshoot with fans. "A selfie or two quickly became group photos, marriage proposals (Junglepussy joked on stage about wanting dual citizenship in Canada, so a fan very seriously offered her a hand in marriage), and lots of laughter all around," Kidane notes. "Blackness Yes! consistently pulls off the best programming in this city. Queer and trans black Torontonians are appreciative and deserving of their efforts." Peep the scene in the slideshow below, and come back later this month for a glimpse of Blackness Yes!'s main Pride event, "Blockorama 19: Take it Black" with headliner Evelyn Champagne King.