Some exhibitions are content to tell stories from the past. Invisible Portraits, by British-Canadian artist Lucy Ash, is more interested in asking why certain stories disappear in the first place.

Through painting, film and sound, the exhibition explores lives that have been overlooked, erased or only partially remembered, bringing together figures from LGBTIQ+ history alongside personal works that confront prejudice, grief and loss.

Among the cultural figures represented are poet Wilfred Owen and filmmaker Derek Jarman, but also Ian Baynham, who was killed in a homophobic assault in Trafalgar Square in 2009.

The artist knew Baynham personally, and the attack became a turning point in her artistic practice, prompting a more direct engagement with questions of visibility, identity and social justice.

One of the more dramatic pieces is a collage of explicit drawings by the artist Duncan Grant created in the 1940s and 50s, and later found under his bed. The collage uses a contemporary bedframe as the artwork frame.

Most of the other portraits are abstract, inspired by the stories of the people they depict, and there’s also a large collection of small images, all of LGBTQ people submitted by others.

As an exhibition, I might say it’s more of a way to use the art to draw your attention to the stories of the people it depicts.

The exhibition, Lucy Ash: Invisible Portraits, is at Canada House Gallery – opposite the National Gallery entrance – until 3rd October and is free to visit.

It’s open weekdays from 11am to 5:45pm.

All the labels are in English and French, because Canada.