The University of New South Wales (UNSW) Sydney community has come together today to celebrate the completion of the Queer Community Quilt.
The 3×5 metre collaborative artwork is inspired by the iconic AIDS Memorial Quilt, and will appear as a centrepiece of the University’s Mardi Gras float.
In 1985, at an AIDS candlelight vigil in San Francisco activist Cleave Jones conceived the Names Project, which resulted in the creation of the AIDS Memorial Quilt – one of the largest community art projects of all time. As of 2020, the final quilt if assembled weighs an estimated 54 tonnes.
The Queer Community Quilt was pieced together with more an 100 individual patches, each was created to honour queer history and celebrate the lived experience of LGBTIQA+ people and communities.
The quilt was stitched together by UNSW alum and acclaimed Australian artist Jordan Gogos, incorporating archival photographs from the Kirby Institute.
Celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2026, the Kirby Institute has played a critical role in HIV research and healthcare in Australia and around the globe.
Sydney Mardi Gras will hold its parade featuring UNSW’s Queer Community Quilt on Saturday, 28 February.
