ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

Braving Time: Queer Art from 1960s to Today at National Art School Galleries

exhibition · 2026-04-24

The group exhibition 'Braving Time: Contemporary Art in Queer Australia' at the National Art School Galleries in Sydney (3 February–18 March 2023) showcases queer art from the 1960s to the present, emphasizing the diversity of LGBTQIA+ experiences. The show opens with 'Thine Shrine, Divine' (2023) by The ArtHitects (Gary Carsley and Renjie Teoh), a paper installation mimicking a marble shrine that memorializes queer ancestors. Works range from Vivienne Binns's feminist pieces to William Yang's documentation of his friend Allan's HIV/AIDS battle, and Tony Albert's critique of colonial legacies through repurposed vintage objects. A standout is Ali Tahayori's 'There is no Queer in Iran' (2022), made of hand-cut mirrors in Kufic and Farsi calligraphy, referencing a Wikipedia entry on the lack of a Farsi equivalent for 'queer' and echoing Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's 2007 denial of homosexuality in Iran. The exhibition refutes any notion of a singular queer experience.

Key facts

  • Exhibition 'Braving Time: Contemporary Art in Queer Australia' runs 3 February–18 March 2023 at National Art School Galleries, Sydney.
  • The show includes works from the 1960s to the present.
  • Opening installation 'Thine Shrine, Divine' (2023) by The ArtHitects (Gary Carsley and Renjie Teoh) is a paper construction mimicking a marble shrine.
  • The installation memorializes LGBTQIA+ ancestors and includes an animated bust reciting names like Alan Turing, Mrs Dalloway, Claude Cahun, and RuPaul Charles.
  • Vivienne Binns contributes pioneering feminist works.
  • William Yang documents his friend Allan's battle with HIV/AIDS.
  • Tony Albert confronts colonial legacies using vintage objects with stereotypes of First Nations Australians.
  • Ali Tahayori's 'There is no Queer in Iran' (2022) uses hand-cut mirrors in Kufic and Farsi calligraphy, referencing a Wikipedia entry and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's 2007 statement.

Entities

Artists

  • The ArtHitects
  • Gary Carsley
  • Renjie Teoh
  • Vivienne Binns
  • William Yang
  • Tony Albert
  • Ali Tahayori
  • Alan Turing
  • Claude Cahun
  • RuPaul Charles
  • Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

Institutions

  • National Art School Galleries

Locations

  • Sydney
  • Australia
  • Iran

Sources