While many events and festivals around the world have been thrown into uncertainty over the past two years, luckily, Sydney’s annual Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras has not had to miss a party yet. While we’re looking forward to having a fabulous time when Mardi Gras kicks a leg up in February and March this year, next year we can look forward to a supersized celebration when Sydney WorldPride 2023 puts the Emerald City on the world stage, combining with Mardi Gras for one great big 17-day LGBTQIA+ extravaganza.
In the lead up to the much anticipated festival, a team of curatorial associates has been unveiled, featuring some names and faces that should be familiar with anyone who frequents the local queerand arts scenes. Selected through a rigorous open expression of interest call-out during 2021, the six associates will join festival creative director, First Nations Ben Graetz and festival creative director Daniel Clarke and bring expertise from across a wide range of artforms.
The team includes Bhenji Ra, a pioneer of the Australian ballroom scene, creator of Sissy Ball, and mother of the House of Sle; Dennis Golding, a Kamilaroi/Gamilaraay artist born and raised in Redfern (his artwork The Future is Here recently exhibited at Carriageworks); Harriet Gillies, an award-winning performance artist who has completed artist residencies with high-profile artists such as Marina Abramović (she was also the co-production manager and tour manager for Peaches’ There’s Only One Peach With a Hole in the Middle, which toured across Europe in 2019); Jennifer Greer Holmes, a producer of live performance and video, an artist and DJ whose numerous credits include working with Branch Nebula and managing Feast Festival; Michael Louis Kennedy, a playwright, writer and arts professional who is currently part of Sydney Theatre Company’s Emerging Writers Group and the marketing manager of Performing Lines; and Felicity Nicol, a proudly queer, disabled artist from Sydney’s Inner West who has made work and partnerships with Mardi Gras, the 78ers, Spark Youth Theatre, Australian Theatre for Young People and others.
The curatorial associates team commenced work towards the end of 2021, and will assist with the development of the WorldPride program through advice and feedback, project ideas, community connections and through the assessment of any open call out opportunities for inclusion in the festival. The festival is promising that the program will prioritise the development of events that provide a platform and opportunity for voices that have traditionally been under-represented whilst developing new audiences for LGBTQIA+ arts and cultural events.
“It was always our vision to ensure that we had diverse opinions, expertise and experiences contributing to the Sydney WorldPride Festival Program,” said the festival’s co-creative directors.
“This team of associates are exceptional and it is a privilege to have their minds on the Festival program with us. Their experience, connections, ideas, insights and passion will help us make sure that the Arts and Culture Program of the Sydney WorldPride Festival is relevant, inclusive and inspiring. We value their feedback on our programming ideas and look forward to rigorous discussions about the program as we develop it.”