Queer Australian Art History: KINK in the Archive

This article examines the systematic exclusion of queer lives from traditional archives and proposes a collaborative approach to documenting queer Australian art history through their digital platform queeraustralianart.com. The authors argue that conventional archival practices have failed to capture queer historical experience due to colonial, patriarchal, and heteronormative institutional frameworks, necessitating new methodologies that attend to gaps, traces, and marginalised voices. Their project emphasises community consultation and seeks to move beyond sanitised institutional collections by incorporating diverse materials including ephemeral objects, oral histories, and personal archives. The platform deliberately avoids chronological structures in favour of rhizomatic connections that reflect queer temporalities and allow users to control their own research parameters. Through analysis of Artlink magazine's coverage of queer art over four decades, the authors demonstrate both progress and ongoing limitations in mainstream engagement with LGBTIQ+ artistic practice.<p></p>