BLOW UP

Exaggerate or amplify. To closely examine. A rapidly escalating situation. To explode. Zoom in. Swelling. We celebrate the difference and intersection of ideas in the work of WILLIAM YANG, MATTO LUCAS, GEORGE POPOV, ALISON BENNETT, JEFFREY SMITH, BRENTON PARRY & TRAVIS DE JONK.  It’s 35 years since the first Mardi Gras blow up happened. This queer liberation protest rally would go on to radically reshape the social, cultural and political landscape of this nation. Over time it has become a highly valued defining annual event, and has opened awareness about a love that once dared not speak its name.  Guest curator Travis de Jonk, brings together the work of leading queer emerging and established Australian artists, working across the generations of Mardi Gras existence, who use photography or photography methodology or photographic material to create their work.  These critically acclaimed artists are a snapshot of our current evolving social and cultural awareness, and an expression of the relevance of queer content and queer practitioners. Their thought provoking work challenges expectations, definitions of identity and sexual politics. They challenge the way images are created, question what they mean and what they symbolize. Unashamedly fusing the Personal and the political, their work explores burning issues encapsulated within the now and the digital age, fueled by the history of the time they grew up in. Mardi Gras is still here and so are queer artists. Blow Up aims to shed some light on the role of queer artists in society and help answer the riddle of why the queer perspective still needs to be shared. On show from 20 February to 5 March