NOT JUST A PHRASE

PRESENTS

NOT JUST A PHRASE

VIEW THE EXHIBITION

VIEW THE EXHIBITION

25 JANUARY - 5 FEBRUARY 2024

About the exhibition

About the exhibition

About the artist

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Photography by Cintia Sofia

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Not Another Coming Out Video captures the artist progressively shaving their head for the third time, reflecting on their past and present reasons for doing so. While expressing the frustration of having to continuously come out, the work highlights the importance of hairstyles as queer signifiers, making us visible in a heteronormative world.

Mish KeatingNot Another Coming Out Video 2022 Video installation 3:05 minutes

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Photography by Cintia Sofia

Jay Van NusLove from J 2023 Digital drawing printed on canvas 40.5 x 50.8cm

Jay Van NusTeta 2023 Digital drawing printed on canvas 40.5 x 50.8cm

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Photography by Cintia Sofia

Mads RoweIn The Meantime 2023 Oil on canvas 30.48 x 40.64cm

Mads RoweSmall Nods 2023 Oil, acrylic & marker on paper 21 x 29.7cm

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Photography by Cintia Sofia

Sophie ShinglesWe Got Called The Lesbian Stoners, I Thought It Was Kind Of Funny And Kind Of Affirming... Anyway- 2023 hand embroidery on cotton doily 13 x 30cm

Sophie ShinglesI Wasn’t In The Class That Read Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit, But I Got The Jist. 2023 hand embroidery on cotton doily 27 x 27cm

Sophie ShinglesI Always Pull The Tower, What’s This One Supposed To Mean?? 2023 hand embroidery on cotton doily 16 x 16cm

Sophie ShinglesHow Is My Detritus So Goddamn Gay?? 2024 hand embroidery on cotton doily 27 x 27cm

Sophie ShinglesGod, I Should Really Take This Off My Keychain 2023 hand embroidery on cotton doily 14 x 29cm

Sophie ShinglesI Just Leave My Detritus Wherever I Go- 2023 hand embroidery on cotton doily 16 x 16cm

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Photography by Cintia Sofia

Translate

THIS HOME IS FEMINISTAnti-patriarchal, trans-inclusive, pro-choice and allied to the LGBTQ+ community. We don’t accept propaganda or misogynistic speeches, discrimination or anything that incites violence or hate. This home is love.

Little Eyes AlienHogar feminista 2023 Digital illustration printed on Hahnemühle Photo Rag 308gsm 49 x 60cm

Community wall

What words, phrases, symbols and signifiers hold meaning to you?

We invited visitors to respond to this question by adding their art, poetry or prose to this wall.

Click to look closer!

About the artist

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Photography by Cintia Sofia

Casual Tuesday humorously calls attention to the dissonance between queer and heteronormative ideas of “a casual Tuesday”. The work celebrates queer sex, non-monogamous relationships and community connection.

Frances CannonCasual Tuesday 2023 Oil on canvas 60cm x 52cm

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See more of Zoë's work

Zoë SydneyQueer Sex Creates Queer Futures 2022 Found fabrics and stuffing 110 x 80cm (banner); 50 x 20cm (strap on)

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Photography by Cintia Sofia

See more of Dylan's work

Dylan BarnesNgumbadalngilanha Dhulubang-galang (United Souls) 2021 Acrylic on canvas 92 x 61cm

About the artist

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Photography by Cintia Sofia

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Dylan BarnesDhulubang-galang Waganha-awaygunha (Spirits Dancing) 2023 Acrylic on canvas 61 x 61cm

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Photography by Cintia Sofia

(left)George KeatsButch Jersey 2023 Polyester 60 x 90cm (right) George Keats A Shrine to Butch 2023 Mixed Media 30 x 40cm

In A Shrine to Butch, George draws together words and signifiers to honour butch identity and expression. Their work highlights the longstanding history of fashion and accessories in signalling queer identity and celebrates the term butch as a source of pride.

About the artist

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Photography by Cintia Sofia

CJ Starcif I dress slutty, is that inherently feminine? 2023 Plastic beads, cotton thread on chiffon in wooden hoop 31.5 x 31 cm

CJ Starc was I really attracted to Leonardo DiCaprio in Romeo and Juliet or did I just want to be him? 2023 Glass beads, wire, cotton thread on chiffon in wooden hoop 41 x 44.5 cm

CJ Starcam I a top or a bottom? 2023 Plastic beads, glass beads, wire, stainless steel, cotton thread on chiffon in wooden hoop 41.5 x 44.5 cm

About the artist

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Photography by Cintia Sofia

See more of Zoë's work

Don't Take It Personally (aren't you worried people will think you are a lesbian) features scraps of the artist’s previously long blonde bleached hair, which they shaved off when they were 19 years old. The words affixed on the mirror recalls their former boss’ response to this, to which the artist refrained from saying "yeah that's the point!!!!" Don't Take It Personally invites you to look in and reflect on this experience. While words and phrases can be used in attempts to stigmatise us, the work encourages you to question whether you are really worried about heteronormative expectations and consider how you would respond.

Zoë SydneyDon't Take It Personally (aren't you worried people will think you are a lesbian) 2020 Found objects and human hair (artist's own) 50 x 30cm

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Photography by Cintia Sofia

Meet the curator

Tor Evans

Tor Evans (she/they) is a curator, producer and arts professional based in Naarm/Melbourne. Tor is the co-founder of Pleasure Project, a curatorial initiative dedicated to amplifying the art and voices of queer women and gender diverse people through meaningful exhibitions. Tor has a Master of Art Curatorship from the University of Melbourne, where she researched best curatorial practice for queer exhibitions. They have worked on curatorial and collection projects at Melbourne Queer Film Festival, Australian Queer Archives, ACMI and National Gallery of Victoria.

In Mexico, catholicism is the most believed religion by its citizens and it is common to find small stickers with written messages affixed to the main entrances of houses. These stickers not only communicate the person’s religious beliefs, but further discourage visits from people who do not align with their ideology. In Hogar feminista, Little Eyes Alien subverts this practice by creating a written statement of her own personal beliefs and those of her community. “Love is what makes our home and respect is what we practise.” Through aligning herself with feminism, trans-rights, the pro-choice movement and the wider LGBTQ+ community. Little Eyes Alien highlights the importance of language in challenging social injustices, as well as finding community and solidarity with other marginalised groups.

CJ Starc

CJ Starc (he/they) is a queer trans non-binary artist, curator and workshop facilitator who lives and creates on Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country. Focusing his practice on organic shapes and textures, CJ seeks to de-gender embroidery whilst honouring its perception as feminine work.

Zoë Sydney

Zoë Sydney (they/she/he) is an artist and drag performer originally from Boorloo/Perth, now living and working in Wurundjeri Country. With a background in quantum physics, they are interested in the physical consequences of seeing and being seen, as well as developing new queer forms of seeing through their work.

CJ's self-portrait, if I dress slutty, is that inherently feminine?, reveals how our bodies and the ways we dress are perceived as gendered in a cis-heteronormative patriarchal world. “I explore the relationship between myself and my body as a trans masculine person with tits that bring me joy (most of the time).”

Jay Van Nus

Jay Van Nus (he/they) is a proud Bibbulmun Noongar and Chilean transgender brotherboy and visual artist, whose queer identities and diverse cultural background inform his artistic practice. They work creatively across both traditional and digital art mediums to promote cultural storytelling and personal expression.

Mish Keating

Mish Keating (they/them) is a non-binary Chinese-Australian actor, artist and filmmaker based in Naarm/Melbourne. Their work explores themes of identity, culture, the queer body and queer love.

Dylan Barnes

Dylan Barnes (they/them) is a proud Wiradjuri artist and researcher, born and raised on Darkinjung Country on the Central Coast of NSW. Their art is heavily inspired by the stories and knowledges of Country, and the close connections that Indigenous Peoples have with each other, animals, Country, and ancestral spirits.

Zoë Sydney

Zoë Sydney (they/she/he) is an artist and drag performer originally from Boorloo/Perth, now living and working in Wurundjeri Country. With a background in quantum physics, they are interested in the physical consequences of seeing and being seen, as well as developing new queer forms of seeing through their work.

Not Just A Phrase

ARTISTS

Not Just A Phrase brings together over twenty works by ten artists to illuminate words, phrases, symbols and signifiers that hold meaning for queer women and gender diverse people and communities. Taking its cue from a common statement of queer resistance “it’s not just a phase”, the exhibition explores how we, as queer and trans people, have asserted the validity of our identities in the face of heteronormative expectations. Words and phrases have continually been used against us, yet the queer community has a long history of subverting and reclaiming language and symbols. Artists reveal how reclaimed words, phrases, and lesbian and trans signifiers shape individual experiences, from helping navigate stereotypes to articulating queer intersectional identities. The exhibition also highlights the importance of imagery and text in connecting with community, as well as working towards an ideal future for queer and trans people. Not Just A Phrase demonstrates how queer women and gender diverse people use words, phrases and symbols to signal identity, find community and take back power.

CJ Starc Dylan Barnes Frances Cannon George Keats Jay Van Nus Little Eyes Alien Mads Rowe Mish Keating Sophie Shingles Zoë Sydney

A PLEASURE PROJECT EXHIBITION

Curated by Tor Evans

In The Meantime casts a warm light on the intimate and complex feelings of embracing being in one's body right now. It is a love letter to trans tape and the immense joy that it can bring. Simultaneously, for some it is a means to an end with a seemingly endless wait for a surgery date. “For me, binding evokes a mix of contrasting emotions and I wanted to capture that in this portrait. I make this art because I want to see more pieces on gallery walls that not only normalise but celebrate the lives of trans and gender diverse people.”

The feelings we associate with our different experiences - such as joy, grief, anger, and confusion - are what define and inform our understandings of ourselves and the world. I see the intertwining of our experiences, feelings, connections to Country and community, and expressions of ourselves as an 'internal' dance. Our internal dance becomes one with our external dances, creating a meaningful and life-long expression of movement and joy. There's so much beauty in our bodies and spirits that are constantly subject to colonial violence. Our sources of resistance and healing come from our deep connections to our families and communities, particularly our Bla(c)k queer and trans kin. Our physical and spiritual bodies deserve to heal alongside our kin, and what better way to do that than dancing with each other.

This piece tells a story of Bla(c)k trans joy that transcends the physical form. The pink and the blue patches are the dancing spirits of trans mob that exist outside of the Western gender binary. Although these colours are traditionally associated with masculinity and femininity, the Bla(c)k trans body and spirit resists these binaries and define themselves through their own embodiments of queerness and identity. Our spirits exist within Sky Country (murriyang) which exists above us - external from the earth. While our physical selves dance on the earth, our spiritual selves dance in the murriyang. The white patterns within each dancing spirit represent the ongoing dances within ourselves. While we use our bodies and our spirits to dance, our movements are given meaning by who we are and who/what has informed how we live today. There's complexity in our lived and soon-to-be lived experiences.

Love from J depicts a pivotal moment of Jay’s transition, in which they reflected, reminisced and found kindness for their past self. This moment culminated in Jay sending a letter to his past self, writing about how great everything will get for them: “Being able to medically transition has been one of the biggest, best gifts l've ever been lucky enough to receive and I couldn't be happier with the path l'm following!”

Frances Cannon

Frances Cannon (they/them) is a queer, multidisciplinary artist based in Naarm/Melbourne. Their work examines ideas of body-love and body-loathing, anxiety, relationships, sex and sexuality, gender, and bodily functions.

Mads Rowe

Mads Rowe (they/them) is a queer artist working on Gadigal Land. Devoted to working with oils, they create art that features and highlights people of the LGBTQ+ community. Their work seeks to celebrate the abundant, radical joy that is unique to queer identities.

Small Nods is an ode to the subcultures and stereotypes within the queer community. It is a playful response to the use of symbolism and signifiers embedded within our lived experiences in order to identify one another on the streets. While these themes may seem frivolous to the outsider, the ongoing dedication to ordering our iced lattes with oat milk or wearing our keys on a carabiner often shares as a reminder of our connection to community.

Not Just A Phrase

Not Just A Phrase brings together over twenty works by ten artists to illuminate words, phrases, symbols and signifiers that hold meaning for queer women and gender diverse people and communities. Taking its cue from a common statement of queer resistance “it’s not just a phase”, the exhibition explores how we, as queer and trans people, have asserted the validity of our identities in the face of heteronormative expectations. Words and phrases have continually been used against us, yet the queer community has a long history of subverting and reclaiming language and symbols. Artists reveal how reclaimed words, phrases, and lesbian and trans signifiers shape individual experiences, from helping navigate stereotypes to articulating queer intersectional identities. The exhibition also highlights the importance of imagery and text in connecting with community, as well as working towards an ideal future for queer and trans people. Not Just A Phrase demonstrates how queer women and gender diverse people use words, phrases and symbols to signal identity, find community and take back power.

ARTISTS

CJ Starc Dylan Barnes Frances Cannon George Keats Jay Van Nus Little Eyes Alien Mads Rowe Mish Keating Sophie Shingles Zoë Sydney

A PLEASURE PROJECT EXHIBITION

Curated by Tor Evans

About the curator

Sophie Shingles

Sophie Shingles (they/them) is a non-binary butch artist living and working on Boonwurrung Land. With a main practice in hand embroidery and textile-based construction, they transcribe words of reflection and reaction onto predominantly second hand materials. Sophie’s art ruminates and communicates subtleties, as well as blatant forms of flagging, within both local and international queer communities. This display features six of their hand embroidered doily works with imagery and text that speak to the lesbian and nonbinary experience.

Little Eyes Alien

Raised in the south of Mexico, Little Eyes Alien (she/they) is a self-taught artist and a revolutionary at heart. Her principal inspiration is the social reality that surrounds her, using her art to protest the dominant hetero-patriarchal and misogynistic world imposed upon her.

George Keats

George Keats (they/them) is a queer visual artist and educator based in Naarm/Melbourne. They work across painting, mixed media and fashion to explore visual language, combining symbols and objects that represent queer experience.

Ngumbadalngilanha Dhulubang-galang (United Souls) is a love letter to Bla(c)k trans and gender diverse mob. Utilising the design of the transgender pride flag designed by Monica Helms in 1999, Dylan explores Bla(c)k perspectives on transness that acknowledges the lived and embodied histories and experiences of trans mob. Each 'U' symbol represents a trans/gender diverse Indigenous Person within their own communities. Situated within different areas of the painting and facing different directions, these placements symbolise each trans Bla(c)k person's complex and unique connections and expressions of their own Bla(c)kness/transness. “Whether the person identifies more strongly with masculinity, femininity, neither, or all variations, our transness is directly connected to our Bla(c)kness, to Country, and to our communities.” Each small dot within this artwork symbolises a perspective of knowledge and history that holds our past and present, as well as representing young mob who are, or will be, exploring their own gender and cultural connections. “These youth are nurtured and protected by our current trans mob who will help them realise their own identity, expression, and connections that are rooted in our Bla(c)kness.” Ngumbadalngilanha Dhulubang-galang explores a reality and ideal future where trans mob are deeply connected to themselves, Country, and each other. “Through mutual support and care for each other and Country, we can navigate/resist the colonial landscape to find new ways to exist and thrive.”

Teta was created as a farewell to the artist’s past, feminine body in the lead up to his gender affirming top surgery. “While ecstatic to see them disappear, this was my little portrait of love to say that it was not them, it was me - and send them off with love.”

Dylan Barnes

Dylan Barnes (they/them) is a proud Wiradjuri artist and researcher, born and raised on Darkinjung Country on the Central Coast of NSW. Their art is heavily inspired by the stories and knowledges of Country, and the close connections that Indigenous Peoples have with each other, animals, Country, and ancestral spirits.