QRAVE

“AN AGITATION, SCRATCHING AT THE SURFACE OF EPHEMERAL QUEER HISTORIES"

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QRAVE: The exhibition unsettles colonial and binary power structures, exposing fault lines in a poised, clear-eyed exploration of queer histories that populate the Birrarung and City of Yarra.

Throughout 2024, journalist, artiste and storyteller Jessi Ryan engaged in research centred upon identifying queer histories from the City Of Yarra. QRAVE: The Exhibition presents these eight histories, from the early days of Gay Liberation in the 1970s to the many ways tragedy struck amid Melbourne lockdowns.

Visitors can use personal devices to scan 8 QR Codes which unlock a series of interviews relating to these histories, told by people who were there.

Graphic murals adorn the walls of the exhibition space, painted by Ryan in just three days, and inspired by Keith Haring, whose story of painting murals in Collingwood in 1984 also features among these histories.

“Creating an exhibition which champions our communities' continued growth and challenges, has involved months of planning, research and interviews. The words you see on the exhibition walls will soon disappear: the emphasis here is on the spoken word, the interviews, and questioning how the written word seeks to contain, whereas the spoken word is there to yell, to rebelliously protest and to challenge, refusing to be silenced.”

QRAVE will transform the Convent’s STORE into an intimate space where truth is told under the nightlife beats. Passionately recounted and moving stories will blur the boundaries between embodied performance and graphic installation, holding space for intimate reflection and new connections.

As a journalist, Ryan most recently has been published by Crikey and ArtsHub. QRAVE in both its exhibition and performance draws upon their extensive history of published articles and interviews.

Immerse yourself in this ‘whole gallery’ experience and discover these histories via QR codes scanned and unlocked on your personal device.

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ABBOTSFORD CONVENT, THE STORE, 11 ST HELIERS ST, PERFORMING 29, 30, 31 OF JANUARY 8PM AND FEBRUARY 1 6PM, 9PM

A stirring performance that draws on themes of struggle and pride, across four nights QRAVE: The Performance transforms QRAVE: The Exhibition into an intimate space where truth is told under the nightlife beats, awash in the flashes of coloured light.

A solo performance by celebrated artiste, journalist and storyteller Jessi Ryan, QRAVE passionately recounts moving stories which blur the boundaries between embodied performance and graphic installation, holding space for intimate reflection and the forging of brave new connections.

“Histories are messy, never painting between the lines; moreso they are the lines which connect us to all those that have come before us, whose legacies light our way, and on whose shoulders we stand.”

What begins by the pulling of a single thread, ends in the unravelling of a rich tapestry of intersectionality. In QRAVE: The Performance, we stand in bare intimacy, with our faces to the wind, breathing new life into histories that otherwise risk fading from our collective memory.

Inspired by the individuals who have gifted QRAVE their memories of time and space, the project spans 50 years of histories that continue to emanate from the Birrarung and the City of Yarra. From the 1970s Gay Liberation Movement to the many ways tragedy struck amid Melbourne’s more recent lockdowns, these stories are retold in an hour of semi-improvised contemporary performance, physical theatre, dance and spoken word.

QRAVE: The Performance follows Ryan’s comedic debut Functional Bottom as part of Melbourne International Comedy Festival in 2024. With a sold-out encore in August, it was most recently programmed by MELT Festival and a to Brisbane Powerhouse. QRAVE: The Performance, marks a return to performance styles which have seen Ryan tour as far as India, Malaysia and Indonesia across the past decade.

As a journalist, Ryan most recently has been published by Crikey and ArtsHub. QRAVE in both its exhibition and performance draws upon their extensive history of published articles and interviews