Raphë

Raphë is an interdisciplinary queer Québécois visual artist and writer working between Montréal / Tiohtià:ke and Melbourne / Naarm. Their practice spans performance, visual poetry, photography and arthouse cinema, exploring the contradictions of contemporary life through flamboyant buffoonery, theatrical spectacle and pointed tenderness. Known for their image-based tableaux and hybrid personas, Raphë constructs surreal scenes through elaborate costumery, distinctive gestures and site-specific interventions, often inhabiting derelict interiors, industrial landscapes and overlooked urban spaces. Their work has been presented at Festival Art Souterrain, Fierté Montréal, Festival Phénoména and the PHI Centre, including a three-year performance cycle for Nuit Blanche (2023–25). Their experimental film Tërra Bëstia (2022) is distributed by the Canadian Filmmakers Distribution Centre. Their latest short film, Dumpster Duchess (2025), co-directed with Liana Paré, premiered at Fantasia International Film Festival, winning the Royal Photo Award for Best Cinematography in a Short Film, and is distributed by Groupe Intervention Vidéo.