George Savoulis Named Senior Curator At Sydney’s LGBT Museum Qtopia
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Sydney-based multi-talented creative George Savoulis has been named Senior Curator for the LGBTQI museum, Qtopia Sydney, which opens in February.
As part of the museum’s opening exhibition, Savoulis will curate Where We Are, an exhibit that tells the history of 301 Forbes Street, the site Qtopia Sydney inhabits.
A History Of Delivering Exceptional Events Around The World
Savoulis has a history of delivering exceptional events around the world.
Savoulis has worked with Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras as the creative director for the official Mardi Gras Party and Fair Day. He has also worked with the Australian Olympic Committee, the Commonwealth Games, ANZ, and Qantas.
Talking about 301 Forbes Street, he said, “This place and space has a deep, important history for the Gadigal and Wangal people of this land. European colonists brought with them the courthouse, gaol and police station on this area, making it a site and symbol of colonial and carceral power, the legacies of which reverberate in the present – in the walls of this building and these cells.”
The Site Of The Old Darlinghurst Police Station
The location was also the site of the old Darlinghurst Police Station which has an important place in the city’s Queer history. The police station was associated with the harassment and persecution of Sydney’s LGBTQI community, including 78ers.
Savoulis explained, “It was a pivotal centre of Sydney law enforcement, especially the criminal regulation of homosexuality, prostitution and cross-dressing during the 20s where the area was a battleground for crime groups such as the razor gangs, as well as the 50s, as a terrifying conduit to the Cooma human experiment that attempted to incarcerate and eliminate gay men. Over time, it was a lightning rod for policing issues, controversy and social and political conflict.”
He added, the exhibit Where We Are “marks the start of our reclamation of this challenging, but essential history, making the reality of our cultural inheritance visible and honouring the legacy of those who suffered and those who fought for legal and social change.”
Qtopia Sydney Opens In February
Qtopia Sydney is set to open at its permanent location at the Darlinghurst Police Station in February.
The site of the old Darlinghurst Police Station on Forbes and Bourke Streets has an important place in the city’s Queer history.
The police station was once associated with the harassment and persecution of Sydney’s LGBTQI community, including 78ers.
