October 17 to 31
Queer Pavilion at the Vault at Dairy Road
https://canberraartbiennial.com
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This year the Canberra Art Biennial is proud to present the Queer Pavilion, an inclusive festival hub curated by Christian Sirois. The Queer Pavilion will house; the Cruel Optimism exhibition, as well as a program of workshops and symposiums by and for the Queer community and allies.
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Cruel Optimism Exhibition
Artists: Tony Albert | Nathan Beard | Rat Bedlington | Gemma Brown | Jenna Lee | Hamish Wiseman | Isaac Kairouz | Shahmen Suku
Cruel Optimism delves into the liminality of Queer realities, exploring themes of world-building, community construction, cryptic geographies, and the documentation of individual and collective histories. Drawing on Lauren Berlant’s concept of Cruel Optimism (2011), this exhibition investigates what knowledge can be produced through Queer-to-Queer dialogue and relational exchanges. It questions whether acceptance is a sufficient response to oppression or if more profound actions are needed to address systemic inequalities.
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17th – 31st Oct 11AM – 4PM
-Artist Talk: Join a handful of artists from the Cruel Optimism exhibition to discuss the motivation and thinking behind their artworks within they exhibition, their Queer journeys, and much more through a tour of the show. Tickets at https://events.humanitix.com/artist-talk-cruel-optimism
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19th Oct 1PM – 2PM
-Queer Curators Symposiums featuring renowned curators (line up to be announced). Join us for a robust discussion on community, memory, and authority, as we unpack what it means to represent oneself and communities through curatorial practice within galleries, archives, and museums. Tickets at https://events.humanitix.com/queer-curators-symposium
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19th of Oct 3PM – 4PM
-Gay Clay ceramics workshop by artist Annie Parnell. An inclusive and non judgmental pottery workshop for people of all ages and levels of artistic backgrounds (no prior experience is required). Tickets at https://events.humanitix.com/gay-clay-workshop
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26th Oct 1PM – 3PM
Tickets are available through the Canberra Art Biennial website or through Humanitix.
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Disclaimer: Artworks within the Queer Pavilion feature nudity, your discretion is advised.
This program is proudly sponsored by: the Canberra Art Biennial, the Australian Government, Creative Australia, and UNSW Galleries.
