Walking into a downtown Windsor Art Studio, the first thing you'll see is a splash of colour.

There are whimsical hand-drawn affirmations on the wall. In one corner, there are intricate collages celebrating the personal journey of a LGBTQ artist. Spread out on a large brown table are black and white portraits of faces from the community.

This art space belongs to Derrick Biso, a non-binary artist based in Windsor.

Biso is currently working on a text-based installation. An ode to LGBTQ history. They were inspired to use art to break down the many layers of the past.

"Here in Windsor more particularly... some heroes we can name in the fights that they have been taking on to bring about a more free future, such as John Damien who was fired from his job for being openly gay and then brought out to a court challenge. And although he didn't win, he did move things forward."

Biso said the purpose of their work is to comb through key moments in queer history.

"Bi, queer, trans, les-- we've always been here. I'll always be here. I started to pull these important dates that talk about this difficult history. The first date alludes to the military occupation by colonial forces of Indigenous lands and the persecution of those military agents for their acts of sodomy. Our history really starts with persecution."

Biso's text-based art installation will be ready to display June 16th at the Arts Council-Windsor & Region on Wyandotte Street East.