J Davies is a multidisciplinary takatāpui artist respectfully doing mahi on the stolen lands of the Kulin Nation in Naarm (Melbourne, Australia). Through an ongoing archive of contemporary queer existence, J cultivates connection to community and culture while exploring themes of identity, intimacy, and neurodiversity.
With a deeply personal approach, J documents their own life behind closed doors, inviting audiences to consider how we view and value intimacy. Their work reflects a fluid relationship with time and memory—an experience shaped by their 2021 diagnosis of a processing disorder, which illuminated challenges in distinguishing dreams from reality.
Kin is a photographic exhibition at the VPC that will run from May 1–June 16, 2025, celebrating Naarm’s queer community. Through printed and projected works, it explores spaces where we co-exist and connect, from parties and rallies to intimate moments of kinship and chosen family. Commencement of this project will begin in early 2025, J will produce new works, both still and moving, as well as selecting existing works from their archive to establish new constellations of images that highlight experiences of community.
As a gender queer artist with Māori heritage, it’s important to J that Kin honours marginalised voices authentically and invites the audience to reflect on their role and responsibility in creating inclusive and safe spaces.
