Gallery celebrates Pride Month

THE Art Gallery of Ballarat is celebrating Pride Month with a new work on the Art Screen and an online exhibition.

Peter Waples-Crowe’s Ngaya (I Am) is screening at Alfred Deakin Place showcasing the intersection of Waples-Crowe’s First Nations and LGBTQIA+ identity.

The five-minute video installation reinstates Waples-Crowe to Ngarigo Country and declares the ongoing presence of Ngarigo people on the land despite western imagery that denies their existence.

The second iteration of the Queer Views exhibition returns this year online, following the closure of the Art Gallery of Ballarat for upgrades.

Three members of the LGBTQIA+ community have responded to several works in the gallery’s collection.

The contributors are Ballarat local Dr Sophie Pilbeam, queer actor Flynn Davis, and Bachelor of Arts student and emerging writer Meghan Aponte.

The exhibition is part of the City of Ballarat’s Pride Month program.

Art Gallery of Ballarat director Louise Tegart said the venue is committed to supporting the LGBTIQA+ community.

“We are pleased to host Peter Waples-Crowe on our Art Screen and bring attention to Queer Views II in an online exhibition,” she said.

“Many works in our collection are by LGBTQIA+ artists, and several works depict diverse points of view, while others solicit a deeply personal response.

“I am grateful for the considered artwork selections and written observations of this year’s participants, and I thank them for their contribution.”

Ngaya (I Am) is on the Art Screen until Friday 1 August. To see Queer Views visit the Art Gallery of Ballarat website.