Opened: March 2024

Curators: George Savoulis (Curator September 2023 – April 2024; Curatorial Director April 2024 – June 2025) and Laura Castagnini (Curator September 2023 – March 2024)

Proudly supported by 357

The Underground is a permanent, over-18 exhibition at Qtopia Sydney examining the history of cruising and queer sexual cultures in Sydney during the 1980s and 1990s. Inspired by the former public toilet block at Taylor Square, the exhibition considers public sexual expression as a site of community formation, political resistance, and cultural exchange.

The exhibition documents key meeting places including beats, saunas, and parties, and examines their role in the development of LGBTQIA+ communities, HIV/AIDS education, and struggles for sexual autonomy. Materials are drawn from the Australian Queer Archives and personal collections, and include photographs, posters, and objects associated with Sydney’s sexual subcultures.

In 2024, The Underground received the People’s Choice Award for Best Museum Exhibition at the Time Out Sydney Arts and Culture Awards, and was nominated for the Museums & Galleries NSW IMAGinE Awards in the Exhibition Projects category for medium organisations.