Trinity Western University’s department of Art + Design is pleased to present Inner Room, an exhibition of new work by TWU alumni Calvin Bergen, Abigail Broadhurst, Jenny Hawkinson, Bailey Snider, and Emily Walker. Inner Room is on display at the SAMC Gallery from Nov. 17–Dec. 17, 2025.
Artwork that speaks through silence
The drawings, paintings, video, and sound works gathered in the exhibition reflect on the silent spaces of our lives that often go unnoticed. Negative spaces—the spaces between, around, and within forms—emerge as a substantial presence in these works. Such spaces are ever present and also always out of sight.
The stones imaged in Bergen’s Rock Tumbler paintings are neither falling nor floating. They exist in perpetual suspension between one moment and the next. Suspended in the rich matrix of the paintings’ surfaces. Likewise, the figures in Snider’s paintings are lost in contemplation, caught between inhale and exhale; the vibrant patterns and saturated hues of their surroundings further emphasizing their stillness.
Between gesture & time
Space seems to slip through the fingers of the hands pictured in Walker’s drawings. She captures the moment between one action and the next as the hands pray, prepare, and work—always attentive to the spaces between. Hawkinson’s video work, filmed in a crypt, activates this empty space with haunting sounds produced by speaker feedback and the sound of an organ being tuned. Broadhurst's video and drawing works navigate internal spaces inviting us to look inward.
These works open a space of contemplation, inviting viewers to their “inner room” of reflection, contemplation and even prayer, recognizing the hidden vitality of the spaces in our lives we often fail to value and attend to.
An invitation to the Inner Room
In a culture that calls us to constant productivity, that drives us to fill every moment with production or consumption, these works create space to pause. They invite us to attend to the spaces that are often ignored but invite us into an encounter with mystery.
Inner Room runs from Nov. 17–Dec. 17 at the SAMC Gallery on Trinity Western University’s Langley campus. Exhibition and events are free and open to the public.
Opening Reception + Artist Talk: Nov. 20, 7–8:30 p.m.
Art Coffee Break: Dec. 4, 11:30 a.m.–12 p.m.
For exhibition opening hours, please visit the Norma Marion Alloway Library page. To see current and previous exhibitions, please visit the SAMC Gallery.
About the SAMC Gallery
The SAMC gallery was founded in 2017 and is the main exhibition space for the Department of Art + Design at Trinity Western University’s School of Arts, Media and Culture. It hosts exhibitions of two to three professional artists and designers per year as well as two student exhibitions. The gallery is an important pedagogical space for the department of Art + Design, exposing students to diverse professional art practices while also serving the wider campus community and the Langley public. The gallery is located in the Norma Marion Alloway Library building, directly adjacent to the Learning Commons, positioning it as an important learning space for the entire campus community.
About Trinity Western University
Founded in 1962, Trinity Western University is a global Christian liberal arts university dedicated to equipping students for life. Uniting faith and reason through Christian teaching and scholarship, TWU is a research institution offering undergraduate and graduate degrees in the humanities and sciences as well as in several professional schools. It has campuses in Canada in Langley, Richmond, and Ottawa. Learn more at www.twu.ca or follow us on Instagram @trinitywestern, Twitter @TrinityWestern, on Facebook and LinkedIn. For media inquiries, please contact: media@twu.ca.