Undercurrent

Undercurrent is a pop-up exhibition that brings together the creative outcomes of a months-long collaboration between Brisbane-based LGBTQIA+ participants and Collab, a facilitation organisation. Emerging from a series of co-designed workshops and a community photoshoot, the exhibition explores how dress, fashion, and localised culture shape personal and collective identity in contemporary Brisbane.

Grounded in lived experience, the project invited participants to explore how self-expression connects with visibility, belonging, and local culture. Using a design-led, conceptual framework, participants translated their stories into wearable forms, sculptural pieces, and performative works that reveal both the visible and hidden aspects of queer life.

The workshops engaged a diverse cross-section of Brisbane’s LGBTQIA+ communities. While legal protections exist, many continue to encounter social and cultural marginalisation—making spaces for creative self-determination essential. Within this supportive environment, participants were encouraged to take creative risks, test materials and ideas, and co-curate their final presentation.

amed by the group, Undercurrent reflects the tension between what is seen and what lies beneath—the public and the private, the celebrated and the concealed. Across a multidisciplinary collaborative, each work contributes to a collective exploration of identity, resilience, and transformation.