Internationally acclaimed artist, writer and community archivist Jessi Ryan returns to the Midsumma Presents program in 2026 with yet another epic double bill, their second major solo exhibition and performance project in as many years. QRAVE in 2025 set the fire burning, now, in 2026, amid the smoke, strobe and lasers – SKIN does emerge.
SKIN: THE EXHIBITION (6 – 8 February) brings contemporary queer histories to the fore, through an immersive video experience. Enshrined in this space are the stories of 6 diverse LGBTQIA+ community members as told by their tattooed cartography. Using your personal device – scanning a series of QR codes unlocks further content and interviews.
SKIN: THE PERFORMANCE (Friday 6 February) recontextualizes and transforms the exhibition space for one very special night. Ryan – in 8 inch pleasers will perform a new solo “performance art ritual” so wild it is impossible to recreate. For Ryan the exhibition content featured here, wasn’t enough.
Responses to the themes of “pride, power, permanence” written by the project’s community participants – will be tattooed to Ryan’s body live on stage by collaborator and “black collar worker”- tattoo artist Dani V.
Finishing in an intensely physical and unrepeatable act is a response to a provocation in a (4 star) review of QRAVE which described it as “ephemeral” and “transitory”. This critical observation shaped the project.
In SKIN the artist asks “how can one truly create a work of permanence, whilst honouring legacy- within the fluid and often fleeting world of theatre.” Both exhibition and performance; in clear eyed vision, expose fault lines in discourse and will tear down the colonial and binary power structures that seek to diminish us.
SKIN features the diverse stories and experiences of five community participants: Brenton Geyer, Georgina Mclaren, Dax Carnay-Hanrahan, Elle and Sprinkle Magic – alongside the inclusion of Ryan’s “self portrait”.
Directed by Ari Angkasa and featuring a soundtrack brimming with “music to sweat to” – SKIN: THE PERFORMANCE also features lasers by Marc Pascall, who has been working in design for dance music festivals for many years.
This exclusive one night only performance and strictly limited 3 day exhibition – is a crucial cultural experience- not to be missed this Midsumma.
“Ryan is a dynamic, evocative and engaging performer” – Arts Hub
SKIN: THE PERFORMANCE
@14 Gallery, 14 Langridge Street, Collingwood
Performance: Friday 6 February 2026
Bookings: www.midsumma.org.au
SKIN: THE EXHIBITION
@14 Gallery, 14 Langridge Street, Collingwood
Exhibition: 6 – 8 February 2026 (free entry)
Information: www.midsumma.org.au
Image: Jessi Ryan – photo by Karen Bryant