Justin Case and Bea Alerte: The Enemy Within, the Threat Beyond

Ottawa School of Art Exhibition featuring Christos Pantieras

Justin Case and Bea Alerte: The Enemy Within, the Threat Beyond
November 12, 2026 to January 31, 2027

Vernissage: Thursday November 12 from 5 pm to 7 pm
Artist talk: Thursday November 12 from 5 to 5:45 pm
Orléans Campus Gallery
Shenkman Arts Centre
245 Centrum Blvd. Orléans, ON. K1E 0A1

The Ottawa School of Art Orléans Campus Gallery is proud to present “Justin Case and Bea Alerte: The Enemy Within, the Threat Beyond”, an exhibition of works by Christos Pantieras. This exhibition is on display from Thursday November 12, 2026, to Sunday January 31, 2027, in the Orléans Campus Gallery located on the main floor of the Shenkman Arts Centre at 245 Centrum Blvd., Orléans. Admission is free. Everyone welcome!

The exhibition explores both the historical and the current attitudes towards the queer community through two vintage Canadian Civil Defence mascots: Justin Case and Bea Alerte. Representing Canada’s LGBT Purge and its estimated 9,000 victims, Justin Case is reimagined as an RCMP investigator who targets members of the LGBT community.

As a counterpoint, Bea Alerte serves as a mobilizing force, encouraging the queer community to remain vigilant and resilient amidst contemporary protests and demonstrations.

Christos Pantieras is an Ottawa-based Visual Artist and Educator. His large-scale installations, sculptures, and mixed media works explore themes of communication, intimacy, autobiography, and identity.Pantieras received an MFA in 2015 from York University. His artwork is in the collections of the Ottawa Art Gallery, the City of Ottawa, the Diefenbunker, the Gay and Lesbian Archives, Smokestack Studios, and Library and Archives Canada.

This free exhibition runs from November 12, 2026 to January 31, 2027.
Gallery hours:
Monday through Sunday from 10 am – 4 pm

Event information:
http://www.artottawa.ca/event-details/justin-case-and-bea-alerte-the-enemy-within-the-threat-beyond