Sequins, spandex and seaside souvenirs will be up for discussion when Courtney Act takes the interviewer’s chair in Murwillumbah next month.
Sunburn (detail) 2025
archival pigment print, 85 × 150 cm
Courtesy the artist, Jan Murphy Gallery (Brisbane) and Michael Reid Galleries (Sydney/Berlin)
© The artist
The performer will join artist Gerwyn Davies at the Regent Cinema on November 7 for a conversation about the extravagant costumes and photographic self-portraits that populate his exhibition, Sunburn.
Currently showing at Tweed Regional Gallery, the exhibition draws on the postcards, signage and holiday imagery of Australia’s coastal ‘Sunrise Strip’.
Davies transforms these familiar objects and references into sculptural costumes, then photographs himself wearing them against elaborate backdrops.
The result is a cast of characters that might look at home on a particularly flamboyant holiday, though every figure is played by the same person.
‘Davies performs each role within the work, wearing every costume,’ gallery director Ingrid Hedgcock said.
Much of the exhibition was developed during Davies’ three-week residency at the gallery’s Nancy Fairfax Artist in Residence Studio in 2025.
Act, whose career spans Australian Idol, RuPaul’s Drag Race and a winning turn on Celebrity Big Brother UK, will explore the artist’s process, inspirations and use of camp aesthetics.
The conversation moves from the gallery to the cinema, where audiences can settle in with popcorn while the pair unpack the work behind the spectacle.
Presented by the Tweed Regional Gallery Foundation, Gerwyn Davies x Courtney Act: In Conversation runs from 5.30pm to 7pm on Saturday, November 7.
Tickets are $40 plus booking fee, with bookings essential. The event is for ages 15 and over.
Sunburn continues at Tweed Regional Gallery until November 22.
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