A Safe(R) Space Outdoor Exhibition

Visual artists have been selected by Midsumma and the Metro Tunnel Creative Program to exhibit their work inside the Franklin Street Frames beside Melbourne City Baths. The works have been created by each artist to speak to Midsumma Festival's signature program 'A Safe(R) Space' and what that means to each artist.

The 2023 signature program at Midsumma Festival is curated around the concept of A Safe(R) Space. Midsumma and the Metro Tunnel Creative Programinvited artists from across all arts disciplines to respond to this theme through artistic exploration.

The five final artists, selected by an industry panel, each delivered six works which explore the intersectional identity between different facets of Queer communities inside the theme of “Safe Spaces” and expressing what defines a safe space for artists and communities. The work is exhibited inside the Franklin Street Frames beside Melbourne City Baths.  

The five artists that make up A Safe(R) Space Outdoor Exhibition include; Emiko Artemis, Zoë Bastin, Kim Leutwyler, J. Rosenbaum and Wet And Free.

Emiko Artemis is a visual artist living and working in South Australia. Her work examines the intersection of bodily movement and space.

Zoë Bastin is an artist and choreographer committed to the capacities of dance for personal and political expressive transformation. This manifests as installations, films, and live performances. These images were created in collaboration with Bri Hammond.

Kim Leutwyler works in a variety of media including painting, installation, ceramics, printmedia and drawing. Her current body of work features paintings exploring notions of beauty, gender and queer identity.

J. Rosenbaum is a Melbourne based AI artist working with 3D modeling, artificial intelligence and artificial intelligence and exploring the intersection of technology and art. 

Wet and Free are a fluid collective of LQBTIQ+ and POC, culturally diverse artists committed to drawing as a mode of free expression and connectivity.

Midsumma is a festival that intrinsically creates safe and inclusive places for communities, with diversity at its very core.  We know that when our communities feel safe and supported, they are able to build stronger connections within their own groups and then with other groups they interact with.