Artbank and Midsumma present - The Banks are Burning

The Banks are Burning 
5 February – 2 April 2026

 Opening event Thursday 5 February, 2026, 5 – 7pm

The Banks are Burning centres on Gary Carsley’s 1986 artwork of the same name, originally commissioned as a backdrop for New York’s influential club The Limelight. Created during the uncertainty and fear of the AIDS crisis, Carsley’s work captures the energy and urgency that defined a generation of queer expression. Recontextualised within Artbank’s collection, The Banks are Burning becomes both a tribute and a provocation, drawing a connection between the artwork’s title and the ‘bank’ of works in the Artbank collection, to the heat and pulse of the dance floor.

This exhibition explores the nightclub as a space of transformation, performance and community. It celebrates the cultural legacy of Australian LGBTQIA+ artists, and their allies, and the connection between art, identity and the spaces where we come together.

When: Thursday 5 February, 2026
Time: 5 – 7pm
Where: Artbank Melbourne, 18-24 Down Street Collingwood
RSVP via HUMANITIX or rsvps@artbank.gov.au

Artbank Melbourne is open Tuesday – Friday 10am – 4pm or by appointment.

Featured artists: Nick Breedon, Gary Carsley, Tay Haggarty, Matt Huppatz, The Kingpins, Nick Mullaly, Clinton Naina, Nell.