Cold dinner and a Show

Performance and installation art by Ian McIlvain and Nadia Namyar

Xavier University Gallery, January 2026

“Cold Dinner and a Show” is an invitation to consider the relationship between inclusion and exclusion, belonging and outsiders, and the relationship of artist to audience. Our goal is to humanize experiences depicted through art to remind us that empathy, understanding, and change begin when we see not just the work, but the reality of the person who made it.

The exhibition featured live performance art, audience interaction, video, paintings, and immersive installations.