Summer festivities are coming to The Old Auction House in Kyneton this January.
The Midsumma Festival is an annual LGBTQIA+ arts and cultural festival to celebrate and promote LGBTQIA+ culture, visibility, and diversity, while providing a platform for artistic expression and fostering a sense of community.
Macedon Ranges Accessible Arts Inc. is presenting several events as part of the Midsumma Regional Activation Program – a partnership between the Victorian Government and Midsumma – with support from sponsors including Collective Possibilities and the Trentham branch of Bendigo Bank.
Queerthentic Art Prize
The Queerthentic Art Prize is just one part of the Midsumma Regional Activation Program.
LGBTQIA+ and gender-diverse artists from rural and regional Victoria have the chance to enter with $2000 in cash prizes to be won and the opportunity to present a solo exhibition in 2025.
Queerthentic will celebrate authentic stories from regional artists in the LGBTQIA+ community.
Midsumma has expanded its program this year to include events, exhibitions, anthologies and film projects celebrating the lived experience of LGBTQIA+ communities in rural and regional Victoria.
Applications are open for the art prize until January 11. Applications can be made on the Macedon Ranges Accessible Arts website.
Queerthentic is a partnership between the Victorian Government and Midsumma with support from sponsors including Collective Possibilities and the Trentham branch of Bendigo Bank.
‘F*ck and Flee’ by Christos Linou
Christos Linou presents a provocative exhibition reflecting his experiences in gay sex on-site venues from 2010-2019.
While the images themselves may not depict sexual activity, each painting captures the essence of these events through abstract illustration.
Each painting is accompanied by a fact/fictional short story to establish the context behind each painting that questions the promiscuous nature of casual gay sex to challenge the notion of “f*cking and fleeing”.
The exhibition ‘F*ck and Flee’ by Christos Linou is showing from now until January 22.
Special performance event: Saturday, January 13, 2pm. Operatic reading from the F*ck and Flee stories, sung by James Titokowaru and Ivan Pero. They will sing selected stories from the exhibition.
Pridefinder Podcast
Pridefinder Podcast Studio will be visiting Kyneton on its second tour around regional communities to collect stories about LGTBQI+ experiences.
Helene Thomas is an award winning audio producer, advocate and great ally for our community with a passion for collecting and sharing stories and she will be the captain of Pridefinder’s journey. She will collect stories focusing on their lives. History and reflections of regional LGTBQIA+ people.
If you would like to participate and share some experiences, visit the ‘Pridefinder in Kyneton’ Facebook page, and click ‘going’. These recordings will be presented at Victoria’s Pride Street Party in Fitzroy on Sunday, February 11.
