Thomas Brasch

I accompanied my husband on a medical conference to Orlando Florida in 2017.  Since we were there, we naturally thought we should check out the makeshift memorial outside the Pulse Nightclub.  This was such an eerie experience.  I have never felt so conspicuous before in my life.   Being in such a place where so many had been targeted, in an lethal act of homophobia, left me feeling very vulnerable.  I’ve since discovered that the onePulse Foundation is making a permanent memorial which will also act as an education center.  The foundation also provides scholarships to the LGBTQ community.  We cannot forget our history if we want to ensure our future.

The Orlando Regional Medical Center is just a few blocks away from the site.  On that night of June 12, 2016, many of the wounded were transported here for treatment.  Orlando Health has become the founding sponsor of the National Pulse Memorial & Museum


Orlando Health has become the fouding sponsor of the National Pulse Memorial & Museum

The source image is from the facade of the Orlando Regional Medical Center which is just blocks away from the Pulse Nightclub.  In the darkened blue windows of the hospital, you can see a reflection of an adjacent brown brick building and the silhouette of the palm trees.  Upon closer inspection of the final abstraction, these palm fronds are most visible in the lighter and brown sections of the photograph.  The final image is a very bold kaleidoscope of very deep blues and complimentary mahogany and mocha browns.

The first edition of Orlando01 was also sold at the SNAP Live Auction Fundraiser a few years back, raising a total of $3,500.  As well, the second edition is hanging in the lobby of the Aids Committee of Toronto offices.

This event led to the creation of the onePulse Foundation and coined the hashtag #WeWillNotLetHateWin.  

See the creation story for more details.


This exhibition consisted of three themes all centering on our humanity: how to be human?  On the first floor of Gallery 191 at the Clark Centre for the Arts, the theme was #wewillnotlethatewin. Thomas transforms lens-based source images into luminous commemorative mandalas to address the pandemic of needless violence in our communities.  On the second floor, in "we are all connected", the artist makes connections and tells visual stories that place the history and rebirth of the “Guild of All Arts” in Scarborough within the greater history of the City of Toronto.  On the third floor, large 55" squared tapestries, part of the Enlightenment series played to the theme "we are all connected".  Thomas extols the richness of the vibrant cultures that define the City of Toronto.

CONTACT Photography Festival 2022 - The Clark Centre for the Arts - How to be Human - We will not let hate win

A street-level pop-up display in the heart of Toronto's Gay Village which presented six abstract photography pieces that dealt with the topic of homophobia and consequences, both negative and positive

Never Surrender - Out of the Darkness

This solo show was part of the CONTACT 2019 Photography Festival in Toronto.  Out of the Darkness made it's debut as a series at the Sheldon Rose Gallery.