Transforming Commercial Spaces Through Art

People often spend a significant amount of time in restrooms at their local pub, presenting a unique opportunity for organizations like HIM to promote health in a more intimate and personal setting. The Potty Buddies concept emerged from the desire to leverage this often-overlooked space for a creative celebration of sex, bodies, and health. To bring this vision to life, HIM teamed up with local queer businesses and artists to craft custom art installations in restroom stalls. These installations feature diverse local models and offer important information about local health interventions, turning an everyday moment into an engaging and informative experience.

The Potty Buddies at The Pumpjack Pub

In November 2023, HIM partnered with The Pumpjack Pub and local artist Zaid KBear to create a series of original custom paintings for the pub. These unique artworks were also reproduced as vinyl prints, adorning the interior walls of the six restroom stalls at The Pumpjack Pub. This collaboration provided a visually engaging way for the pub to delight patrons while also sharing important health resources and messages from HIM.

The project was unveiled at a lively public event hosted by The Pumpjack Pub, which attracted over 100 community members, partners, and friends. The event included a silent auction where three of the six original paintings were sold, raising funds to support HIM’s mission.

ORIGINAL ART
Local artist Zaid KBear developed size original paintings using Soft Pastels as the medium to bring the images of local diverse community members to life.

See below the six completed original paintings:

INSTALLATION
Each of the original paintings was digitized and adapted into a vinyl print which wrapped around the inside of each stall. Each vinyl wrap included a different general health promotion message themed around sexual, social, mental, or physical health. And each stall was equipped with a poster frame dedicated to HIM health promotions to maximize on the opportunity to inform community members about important health promotions while they’re inside the stall.

See below the completed vinyl installation:

The Potty Buddies at Steam1

In 2025, HIM teamed up with Steam1 Bathhouse in New Westminster and local artist Nickie Charles to create six custom digital artworks for Steam1’s bathroom stalls. These vibrant digital pieces were printed on UV-reflective vinyl, bringing bright and vivid colors to the otherwise dimly lit bathroom space. The artworks, rendered in a sexy comic book style, feature body-positive and sex-positive imagery representing characters of all genders, celebrating Steam1’s diverse clientele and its inclusive, sex-positive environment.

The project was unveiled at a private event hosted by Steam1 in [Month], 2025, which gathered over [Number] community members, partners, and friends. The event also featured a HIM shop where attendees could purchase autographed copies of the artworks, with proceeds supporting HIM’s