Lighting of the Sails: Kiss of Light by David McDiarmid

David McDiarmid

David McDiarmid was born in Hobart in 1952. Raised in Melbourne, he studied film at Swinburne. He left before graduating to pursue the life of an gay activist artist. He was involved in the earliest days of Gay Liberation in Melbourne and Sydney, wrote and illustrated for Gay Liberation News in Sydney, participated in zaps, demos and kiss-ins, and held his first exhibition ‘Secret Love’ at Hogarth Galleries, Sydney in 1976. After his first extended trip to the United States in 1977, an experience that profoundly affected his aesthetic and political preoccupations, he moved to New York to live in 1979. From a cheap walk-up apartment on East 12th Street, Manhattan, he created work that engaged with the bars, dance clubs, music and streets of a city experiencing the heyday of gay male liberation before the advent of the AIDS epidemic in the early 1980s. Returning to Sydney in 1987, McDiarmid worked at a furious pace to create work which evoked the joys of sex and solidarity, rage at reinvigorated homophobia, and bravery in the face of death. He died of AIDS related conditions in 1995. Since his death his work has been celebrated internationally.

Photo: William Yang

Dr Sally Gray

Dr Sally Gray was a friend and intellectual fellow-traveller of artist David McDiarmid for twenty years preceding his untimely death of AIDS related conditions in 1995. Since then, she has been his executor, copyright holder and the curator of his creative legacy. She was Guest Curator of the retrospect exhibition David McDiarmid: When This You See Remember Me at the National Gallery of Victoria in 2014 and brokered the presentation of McDiarmid’s ‘Rainbow Aphorisms’ throughout the London Underground transport system in 2017. As an interdisciplinary curator, her exhibitions have been presented in Sydney, London, Melbourne, Beijing, and regional Australia. Her writing on art and design appears in books, book chapters and academic journals. 

Statement from Sally Gray

"There is a utopian underpinning to everything David McDiarmid did, even the fiercest, most uncompromising work. He was an artist who yearned for, and worked for, a better, freer, more joyful and just world."

VANDAL

VANDAL is a multidisciplinary creative studio at the forefront of art, technology, and production. Recognised as the #1 Production Company in Australasia (Campaign Brief ‘The Work’ 2023), it has spent 40 years crafting award-winning immersive experiences.

From large-scale projections to interactive installations, VANDAL transforms public spaces into dynamic canvases for storytelling. Notable recent projects include Badu Gili: Healing Spirit at the Sydney Opera House, Synthetic Hum(AI)nity for Vivid Sydney 2024, and Sydney Harbour Bridge’s New Year's Eve projections for the City of Sydney.

VANDAL’s broader creative practice spans animation, VFX, virtual and augmented reality, and digital placemaking, ensuring every creation merges technology and storytelling in innovative ways. With multiple international industry awards, VANDAL continues to push the boundaries of immersive art, delivering bold, unforgettable experiences to audiences worldwide.

Statement from VANDAL 

"Light and shadow converge, reflecting David’s powerful aspiration for freedom and hope. This powerful piece celebrates life, affirming the impermanence of existence and the endurance of legacy."