bodies no bodies

Bodies emerge from cocoons. Faces shift until they are unrecognisable. Smells waft, sounds loop, and mirrors catch you in their sight. In this latest offering from emerging curator Sydney Sydney (co-winner of Blindside Gallery’s Emerging Curator Award, 2023), artists working in the gallery and on the stage explore the spaces between the binary.

Featuring Zero, Thicky T, James Bot, Foot, and plastic messiah, bodies no bodies is an ambitious experimental exhibition-meets-performance series. Each artist presents two interconnected works: a physical installation that remains in the gallery space throughout the exhibition, and a live performance that activates their installation piece every night. During regular gallery hours, visitors are invited to encounter each work in the absence of the artist body, offering two distinct but interconnected viewing experiences.

Spanning from facial recognition technology to audio ritual to collaged metamorphosis, this is a glittering queer experience not to be missed. For trans artists, the body is automatically a site of exploration and play. Reflecting on the way trans bodies are scrutinised as performance, artists bring their bodies explicitly to the gallery. We invite you to come and play with us and bring your own body with you.

The exhibition is open for free 12pm-4pm daily.
Purchase a ticket to join us in the performance session from 8pm every night, and will run for 1 hour. Light audience interaction will be invited.

bodies no bodies is part of Abbotsford Convent’s experimental art program. Your ticket gives you free access to a performance by MacroVerse on the same night. While you’re at it, book in a (free) session of The Shore Remembers, a deep-dive binaural sound experience. Join us for a fantastic night of diverse contemporary artworks! Bar opens 6pm.