While there are plenty of headliner events taking place at Sydney World Pride 2023, there are just as many exciting things to do off the beaten track around greater Sydney.
One of these is the Absolutely Queer exhibition at the Powerhouse Museum.
The exhibition shines a light on some of Sydney's leading queer creatives, exploring their work and how it aims to reshape attitudes towards their communities.
Personal stories are shared through costume, art, fashion, design and multimedia.
Tuan Nguyen is assistant curator for both Absolutely Queer, and Zampatti, an exhibition celebrating the life of the designer, Carla Zampatti.
Nguyen, who has a PhD in queer history, said his work on the exhibitions is fueled by his passion for social history.
"No matter what area of the collection I work with, I seek out the human element that speaks to contemporary audiences," Nguyen told Newshub.
"Working on Absolutely Queer is an honour and privilege. As a queer man working in a public museum, it's amazing that I can both serve the queer community that sustains me and celebrate the community with our wider audience.
"The exhibition is about contemporary queer creativity in Sydney but it's also about honouring the past. On a personal level, it makes me reflect on the struggles of previous queer generations and the responsibility that it gives us today to continue that legacy," he said.
Nguyen hopes visitors to Absolutely Queer will be inspired by the breadth of queer creativity - whether it be fashion design, video games, performance art or beyond.
"Queer creativity is kaleidoscopic and it reflects the diversity of the community. I also hope visitors will leave with some of the aura of colour and joy that surrounds the creatives we've worked with," Nguyen said.
He said the queer community is sustained by the spaces it creates and the stories it tells.
"Seeing a reflection of yourself in a story is affirmative - you feel connected, you feel a community. Museums have a role in holding space for these stories and celebrating the wonderful diversity of communities we live in.
"For Mardi Gras and WorldPride, we're rolling out the pink carpet. We're here, we're queer and we're in the museum."
Absolutely Queer is open from February 17 to December 2023 at Powerhouse Ultimo.
