Tropical Mardi Gras' GAZE has graced Cairns in northeast Australia with rainbows of artwork that aims to celebrate LGBT people everywhere.
Event organiser Bill Chappelle said he hoped GAZE could simultaneously grow awareness about this minority group in the effort to squash discrimination.
We wanted to make a statement about the LGBT community and our struggle for acceptance in the mainstream of everyday life
"We wanted to make a statement about the LGBT community and our struggle for acceptance in the mainstream of everyday life," Mr Chappelle said in a media release.
Featured art includes "Little Miracles" by Deborah Kelly, who highlights the issue of homosexual couples as parents. David McDiarmid’s artwork looks at empowering those who are HIV positive.
Each October, , formerly known as Cairns Tropical Pride, hosts a festival with everything from dance and fashion shows to dives and rainforest explorations, for LGBTQI communities around Australia and the globe.
Tropical Mardi Gras’ GAZE visual art exhibition is on display until 31 October at Tank 4, TANKS art centre, Edge Hill
