It’s time to revel in your rainbow palette, because the respectable Art Gallery of NSW is gonna let her hair down for an all-new edition of Queer Art After Hours. Hosted in collaboration with the Sydney Mardi Gras Festival (in the lead up to the massive annual LGBTQIA+ pride parade) this ever-popular free event promises lots of surprises, with a colourful kaleidoscope of experiences taking over the whole Art Gallery campus on Wednesday, February 26, from 5–10pm.
Gear up for an evening filled with performances, DJ sets, fun workshops, and a variety of pop-up bars and food stalls alongside the Art Gallery’s existing restaurants and cafés. (Hot tip: look out for the ‘Queering the collection’ labels that will appear next to historical and contemporary artworks, showcasing the breadth and diversity of queer identity in the gallery’s collection.)
You can take part in a drop-in ‘drag and draw’ session over cocktails with Drag Race Down Under icons Etcetera Etcetera and Nikita Iman; slow down and meditate with psychotherapist and healer Faith Agugu; create surreal, dreamlike collages under the guidance of artist Nkosi Ndlovu; and reconnect with your body in a sensuality movement workshop led by Basjia.
Meanwhile, keep an eye out for performances throughout the night including an aural history of house music by Nefertiti LaNegra, the self-described ‘Serena Williams of drag’; a ‘sinner’s service for the people’ featuring poetry, song and dance with artists Tommy Misa and Fetu Taku; a show-stopping performance by singer-songwriter Andrew Bukenya blending jazz, gospel and contemporary flair; and a celebration of the legacy of queer, trans, Black and Latinx brilliance in ballroom that also embraces Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander LGBTSB+ excellence by the Indigenous All Stahz.
As always, Queer Art After Hours is a free event – but this year you’ll need to book a ticket over here to help the Art Gallery manage the large number of attendees expected.
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