Newport Substation volunteer Carmel Kozolup appraises works by four Melbourne- based queer cartoonists, who are featured in the Sissy Blvd exhibition at the Substation as part of the Midsumma Festival. Drawings by Lee Lai, Merv Heers, Katie Parrish and Sam Wallman explore gender, sexuality, class and visibility. The exhibition examines remnants of gay liberation and contemporary queer culture. Lai’s work explores sexuality, race and gender through comics and cartoons, using ink and gouache. Heers’ pen and ink comics examine gender, sex and psychedelic experiences, while Parrish’s practice is mainly concerned with mental illness and feminism. Wallman’s drawings about how politics affects our lives is a mix of traditional cartooning and an emerging style of comics-journalism. The exhibition is open until March 15 from 11am-5pm, Wednesday to Sunday. Goya Dmytryshchak
