You are invited to John Curtin Gallery's third Makuru season Lunchtime Talk, with award-winning participatory visual artist and human rights researcher, Lauri Parr, and educational sexologist and PhD candidate, Kim Andreassen.

Lauri and Kim will discuss the prolific work of Nan Goldin and its ongoing legacy in both queer theory and photographic practice. They reflect on the works’ themes of community, identity and relationship-based consent and the intersection between art, storytelling and public health.

	Lauri Parr is an award-winning participatory visual artist, human rights researcher and 2025 Forrest Foundation Creative Fellow. She uses ethical photography, photovoice and storytelling - to explore, celebrate and share counter discourses - with underrepresented communities. Her portfolio spans collaborations in 14 countries in 5 continents, with work shared strategically in galleries, public institutions, and the public to influence social change.
	Kim Andreassen (they/them) is a trans, non-binary, queer, neurodivergent, and chronically ill parent and educational sexologist with a focus on diversity and inclusion for historically marginalised populations in research and education. They are currently the School Program Coordinator for Act Belong Commit and a PhD candidate at Curtin University. Their thesis focuses on best practice accessible consent education for people with disability aged 12-16 years of age.

Lauri Parr is an award-winning participatory visual artist, human rights researcher and 2025 Forrest Foundation Creative Fellow. She uses ethical photography, photovoice and storytelling - to explore, celebrate and share counter discourses - with underrepresented communities. Her portfolio spans collaborations in 14 countries in 5 continents, with work shared strategically in galleries, public institutions, and the public to influence social change.

Kim Andreassen (they/them) is a trans, non-binary, queer, neurodivergent, and chronically ill parent and educational sexologist with a focus on diversity and inclusion for historically marginalised populations in research and education. They are currently the School Program Coordinator for Act Belong Commit and a PhD candidate at Curtin University. Their thesis focuses on best practice accessible consent education for people with disability aged 12-16 years of age.

Light refreshments provided.

The JCG Lunchtime Talks is a mid-week series that invites speakers from diverse disciplines to share their research, practices, and perspectives in response to the gallery’s exhibition programming. These informal sessions offer a welcoming, collegial space to explore ideas, spark dialogue, and engage with the themes and questions shaping contemporary visual culture and artistic practice.

The Gallery’s public opening hours during exhibitions are Monday to Friday 10am to 5pm and Sunday 12pm to 4pm. Closed Saturdays and Public Holidays.

For more information, please visit our website: https://www.curtin.edu.au/jcg/

Nan Goldin: The ballad of sexual dependency is a National Gallery Touring Exhibition presented as part of the Bowness Family Foundation Photography Touring Program.

Viewer Advice: The photographs in Nan Goldin’s The ballad of sexual dependency depict the everyday lives, often in intimate detail, of people in Goldin’s immediate community during the late 1970s and early 1980s.

15+ Content Warning: Please be advised that works of art in the exhibition depict explicit nudity, sexual acts, drug use, and the impacts of violence against women. Viewer discretion is advised under the age of 15.

Photo credits:

Banner image: Nan Goldin, Suzanne in the green bathroom, Pergamon Museum, East Berlin, 1984, 1984, National Gallery of Australia, Kamberri/Canberra, purchased 2021 in celebration of the National Gallery of Australia's 40th anniversary, 2022 © Nan Goldin

Image 2: Portrait of Lauri Parr, courtesy of the subject.

Image 3: Portrait of Kim Andreassen, courtesy of the subject.

Photography

This event will be photographed and/or videoed and images will occasionally be used for promotional and marketing purposes, including social media. If you do not wish to be photographed or videoed, please notify staff at event registration.

Accessibility

Everyone is welcome at the John Curtin Gallery. Plan your visit to the John Curtin Gallery.