The Party celebrates LGBTQIA+ nightlife and party culture in Sydney from 1973 to 2002.
The Party takes its name from the pioneering 1981 warehouse party by The Organisers and tracks the development of the dance party – from early Gay Liberation dances and fundraisers at the Paddington Town Hall to larger productions in warehouses and at the former Sydney Showgrounds. These include the influential Recreational Arts Team (RAT) parties, Mardi Gras, Sleaze Ball, Sweatbox, and Inquisition, alongside alternative party spaces such as Sodom, Fanny Palace, Homo Eclectus, and Sex and Subculture. The exhibition also includes rarely-seen material documenting the early bars and nightclubs Stranded, Patchs and Ruby Reds.
Alongside these events, neighbourhoods were alive with record stores, community radio, and publishing that all contributed to a defining period of social and sexual freedom in Australia.
The exhibition features documentation and ephemera from events and venues alongside work by Australian artists, writers and designers engaging with these histories. This includes an array of original photography and artwork, video documentation and materials that acknowledge the influential contribution of local practitioners and performers.
The Party features works by and contributions from
Alan Ingram
Alan Parkinson
Allan Booth
Anne Sheridan
Bill Morley
Billy Yip
Bob Hay
Brian Ross
C.Moore Hardy
Callum McGrath
Cayte Latta
Christine Dean
David Eastman
David McDiarmid
Dyke Pirate
Feminist Media Afront
Fiona Cunningham-Reid
Fiona Kelly McGregor
Geoff White
George Balada
Gigi Legenhausen
Gillian Minervini
Gordon Fitchet
Gregg Blachford
Ian Barbour
Ian Jopson
Jamie James
Jeff Allan
Jon Mancinelli
Kane Race
Kate Monroe
Kathy McKinnon
Kellie Henneberry
Lance Cunynghame
Larry Allen
Lisa Salmon
Luis Hormzabel
Mark Matheson
Mark O'Brien
Martin Harsono
Mazz Image
Melissa Bradley
Murray McLachlan
Nigel Gurney
Peter Elfes
Peter Schouten
Philip Juster
Philippa Playford
Recreational Arts Team
Richard Weiss
Rob Walls
Robert Lake
Robert Racic
SenVoodoo (AñA Wojak & Fiona Kelly Mcgregor)
Sodom / Homo Eclectus
Stephen Allkins
Sweatbox Productions
The Organisers
Tim Gruchy
Timothy Roberts
Tom Fairweather
Victor Li
Wicked Women
William Yang