The Victorian Pride Centre has launched its 2024 Visual Arts Program.
The visual arts program will showcase a vibrant and dynamic collection of exhibitions throughout the year in the Pride Gallery, featuring work by artists, photographers, designers and community organisations.
This year-long initiative promises a rich tapestry of exhibitions offering visitors a glimpse into the vibrant diversity of queer art.
“The 2024 program presents a diverse selection of queer contemporary art practice and endeavours that consider identity, place, community, self-determination, and queer history. The VPC is proud to support and champion our creatives with its annual calendar of exhibitions and accompanying programs,” Ange Bailey, Visual Arts Program Curator and Coordinator.
Queer Latinx: Migrating Down Under
January 12 – March 4 | Jose-Octavio Ortiz and Arun Ernesto Munoz
This photographic project, curated by Jose-Octavio Ortiz and Arun Ernesto Munoz, explores the layers of identity and intersectionality experienced by LGBTIQ+ Latinx people living in Australia. These photos allow community members to present themselves and represent their own lives and new realities as migrants.
male//chair
March 6 – April 28 | Garrie Maguire
This photographic exhibition by Melbourne visual content creator Garrie Maguire employs a simple setup: Each individual sits stripped of conventional gender or status signifiers upon a red kitchen chair. The camera serves as the audience, capturing the essence of each participant’s raw presentation. Through these images, Garrie hopes to provide the viewer with glimpses into interpretations of maleness that occupy this city.
The Air is Electric
1 May – 30 June | David McDiamird
Having experienced the joy of belonging to an identifiable gay community in Sydney and buoyed by the potential that could be unleashed by the gay community, David wanted to experience gay life, community, and art in the USA. During his travels in the United States, David McDiarmid was constantly documenting his experiences in correspondence and photographs. Through these, we can start to understand the excitement of the liberatory activism and emergent gay community of the late 1970s – ‘the air was electric’ with new possibilities and freedom. An Australian Queer Archives exhibition.
Seen/Scene
1 May – 30 June | A tilde exhibition by BHO VÉ
tilde: an approximation, an in-between-ness, beyond absolutes and rigidity. The essence of the indefinable nature of gender. Established in 2014, tilde is a community-led, international film festival based in Melbourne and one of only a handful of trans and gender diverse (TGD) film festivals in the world. SEEN/SCENE is a celebration of TGD people, their work in film and screen, amplification of their voices and experiences, and their dreams of a future where trans lives matter.
Muru-ba
3 July – 21 July | First Nations LGBTIQA+ Trailblazers
Muru-ba showcases the faces and stories of First Nations LGBTQIA+ Elders involved with LGBTQIA+ rights and First Nations community movements since the 1970s from across Australia. Muru-ba is a Dharug word gifted to the project by Aunty Julie Jones, which means trailblazer or pathmaker. The exhibition showcases portraits taken in February 2023 by renowned Sydney-based photographer Joseph Mayers (Yorta Yorta), accompanied by newly recorded interviews by Daniel Browning (Bundjalung / Kullilli), ABC journalist and radio broadcaster.
Persona
23 July – 15 September | Camila Paz Salgardo Orellana
Persona emphasises our common humanity, laying the foundation for bridges of understanding. Each artwork visually testifies to the enriching diversity of our world, encouraging appreciation for variety. Camilla advocates for a society where individuals find their place, respecting choices and weaving destinies authentically. The space acknowledges the struggles of those facing discrimination, raising its voice in solidarity. This exhibition showcases humanity’s richness, urging a more compassionate world where diversity and tolerance prevail—a poignant reminder that, above all, we share the vital title of being human.
© Magnus-Hirschfeld-Gesellschaft eV, Berlin
TransTrans: Transnational Trans* Histories
19 September – 3 November| Curated by Birgit Lang and Katie Sutton
Furthermore, TransTrans explores a series of transnational networks comprising trans individuals who played pivotal roles in shaping early gender-diverse histories.
It delves into the interactions among German and European, North American, and Australian trans communities, as well as the collaboration with scientific researchers on gender diversity. These researchers include those associated with institutions such as Magnus Hirschfeld’s Institute for Sexual Science in Berlin and communities like the queer subcultures of Weimar Germany. Additionally, it examines photographs from the collection of Carla Erskine, a US-based trans* activist who established an intimate trans support network in the 1950s USA.
You Looking at Me, Looking at You
6 November – 8 January 2025 | Emma Armstrong-Porter
Memories of intimate shared experiences taken in moments of life, love and loss. These unrefined portraits by artist and educator Emma Armstrong Porter are technically inconsistent because they were shot at a decisive moment, guided by emotion, not photographic convention. Additionally, these photos capture moments that lean towards the vernacular but hold a striking private emotion within the returned gaze. Moments veiled through mirrors and glass and immortalised in silver.
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6 November – 8 January 2025 | David Arlo
David Arlo, a sculptor and video artist, mixes domestic crafts with imagery from the familial, queer, and grotesque. His installations and films aim to draw viewers in with comfort and nostalgia. Yet, he disrupts this atmosphere with sudden, disturbing cues. He seeks to foster vulnerability and honesty in his art, creating a bond that encourages new ways of thinking.
About the Victorian Pride Centre
Australia’s pioneering hub for LGBTQIA+ communities, the Victorian Pride Centre houses essential organisations, healthcare services, and venues for social engagement and community.
According to the Victorian Pride Centre, this program marks a significant moment for the wider LGBTIQA+ community. Promising a year filled with artistic exploration, cultural dialogue, and celebration of diversity.
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