Celebrate Sydney WorldPride at Australian Design Centre

Australia Design Centre's Sydney WorldPride program will be running through February and March 2023 and featuring textile exhibitions Unravelling Queerly and Chili Philly’s Crochet Social 2023 along with a stellar line up of makers in Queer Mart: A Darlo Makers Market.

From political struggles, relationships with family and self-identity. From knitted protest banners to dark glittery glory holes, Unravelling Queerly will take you through a whirlwind of emotions. Part of WorldPride Arts, Unravelling Queerly features work by 10 artists from diverse backgrounds who embrace, rework and push the boundaries of textile-based art and craft forms.

Showcasing the quirky, raw and real struggles and accomplishments that Queer people go through, this exhibition has all the elements to make you cry and laugh, as you glimpse the world through the Queer lenses of the Unravelling Queerly exhibitionists: Nicole Barakat, Samuel Luke Beatty, Andrew Chan, Luke George, Nadia Hernández, Kate Just, Raisa Kabir, Blake Lawrence, Arone Meeks and Ahilapalapa Rands.

Unravelling Queerly was developed by a curatorium including Liam Benson, Dakota Dixon, Kirsten Fredricks, Michael Kennedy, Ivan Muñiz Reed and Holly Williams.

Michael Kennedy, Unravelling Queerly curatorium member commented:

“Textiles and fibrecrafts have been a site of queer creative expression across cultures from time immemorial; and in many ways the history of the queer movement has been one of disparate communities and identities threaded together; in compassion, solidarity and a shared struggle for dignity and justice. We are all part of a magnificent tapestry.”

Also part of the official program, Queer Mart: A Darlo Makers Market is a lively daytime market that celebrates the sparkling array of Queer makers in our community on Sunday 26 February. Featuring 20 stalls with everything from locally-made doggie bow ties to stunning accessories, plants, and one-off collectables, co-curated by multifaceted creative Jeff McCann and Doodad and Fandango’s Nikita Majajas.

“Our community is bursting with crafty creatives who inspire us every day and we wanted to celebrate that; to showcase the talented people who make our city vibrant and fabulous and fruity!”

- Jeff McCann and Nikita Majajas, Queer Mart co-curators

Phil Ferguson, aka Chili Philly, brings Object Space to life 24/7 school dance social-style. Working at the nexus of art, craft and social media, they transform everyday objects into covetable crochet creations. Crochet Social 2023 is a follow up to their memorable 2017 exhibition at ADC and beams out videos from Chili Philly’s Instagram throughout Sydney WorldPride.

Great excited and celebrate Sydney WorldPride with us in 2023!

Explore Sydney WorldPride program 17 February - 5 March 2023. sydneyworldpride.com