Exhibition dates: July 16–Sept. 14, 2026
Exhibition location: Amelia Douglas Gallery, Fourth Floor North, Douglas College, 700 Royal Ave., New Westminster
Opening reception: July 16, 4:30pm
The Amelia Douglas Gallery is opening a new exhibition that examines the invisible labour of Filipino cleaners in Canada.
Afterhours: Who is Cleaning it? by North Vancouver-based Filipino artist Khim Mata Hipol uses weaving, sculpture and photography to reclaim everyday cleaning tools as symbols of cultural presence and resilience.
The exhibition features handwoven tapestries that combine traditional cleaning fabrics with the colours of the Philippine flag to provide a statement of recognition and reclamation within Canada's cleaning industry.
“Hipol challenges us to look beyond the spaces we occupy and recognize the identities and culture of the people who care for them,” said Colleen Maybin, Director of Performing and Fine Arts at Douglas College. “Through familiar objects and powerful symbolism, his work reminds us that every space carries stories of resilience and belonging that deserve to be seen.”
Alongside his woven works, Hipol’s self-portraits feature traditional Filipino cleaning tools to assert dignity and the lived experiences of Filipino migrants who’ve shaped Canadian society through their work.
Khim Mata Hipol is an award-winning interdisciplinary artist who holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a major in Photography and a minor in Art and Text from Emily Carr University of Art + Design. His work has been exhibited in Canada, the United States, Germany and the Philippines.
The community is invited to the opening reception of Afterhours: Who is Cleaning It? at 4:30pm, July 16, at Douglas College’s Amelia Douglas Gallery. The exhibit runs until Sept. 14. Admission is free.
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Contact
Serena Spacek
Communications Advisor
spaceks@douglascollege.ca
604 527 5460
About Douglas College
Douglas College is the largest college in B.C., combining the academic foundations of a university and the employer-ready skills of a college to graduate resilient global citizens who adapt, innovate and lead in a changing world.
Douglas College respectfully acknowledges that our campuses are located on the unceded traditional and ancestral lands of the Coast Salish Peoples, including the territories of the q̓íc̓əy̓ (Katzie), qʼʷa:n̓ƛʼən̓ (Kwantlen), kʷikʷəƛ̓əm (Kwikwetlem), xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), qiqéyt (Qayqayt), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), scəw̓aθən (Tsawwassen) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Peoples.