Jeremy Smith is a Sydney-based award winning artist, curator and researcher whose work sits at the intersection of art, activism, and historical memory. As Qtopia Sydney’s first Artist Ambassador, he brings together a multidisciplinary practice that spans hand-drawn cartography, academic research, and queer advocacy.

Smith is best known for his large-scale counter-maps, which combine personal narrative, archival research, and community engagement to trace the emotional, political and spatial dimensions of queer life. His ongoing exhibition at Qtopia Sydney, We’re Here, We’re Queer, features key works including Queer Sydney: A History, Gaybourhood Bubbles of Sydney, and Counter-map of Global LGBTQIA+ Rights. Two of these pieces are in the major public collections of the State Library of New South Wales and the University of Sydney’s Fisher Library.

Alongside his artistic work, Smith has played a visible role in national efforts to end conversion practices. A survivor himself, he contributed personal testimony and public advocacy to the campaign led by Equality Australia, culminating in the passage of New South Wales’ landmark ban in 2024. Through media commentary, education programs and ongoing creative practice, Smith continues to address the legacy of these practices and contribute to broader conversations around queer safety, truth-telling and repair.

Currently completing a PhD in Fine Arts at UNSW, Smith’s research explores queer counter-cartography as both an artistic methodology and a form of cultural intervention. He is also a co-founder and curator at Draw Space, Sydney’s only dedicated drawing gallery. His ambassadorship reflects a long-standing contribution to the centre’s artistic and community programming and affirms his ongoing role in shaping Qtopia’s creative direction.

“Qtopia is the space I needed as a young, lonely gay kid growing up in a conservative religious household,” Smith says. “It’s not just a museum, it’s a third place for memory, storytelling and belonging. My art and research are grounded in the same belief that drives Qtopia: that queer people should be the ones to tell our own stories.”