Yucky

Current Exhibition

17 February - 4 May 2024

This is a close-up photo of me (Sam) releasing urine from my catheter into a yellow water balloon. I’m wearing blue pants faded to purple, a grey plaid shirt and brown leather sandals. My Dystonic hand is visible from the top left corner, pushing urine out of my catheter bag.

Yucky is a group exhibition that explores the personal and political complexities that exist as part of disabled experience.

When

Adelaide Contemporary Experimental

17 February to 4 May 2024

11:00am to 4:00pm

Access

People seeing me and yet pretending not to see.
The fear is palpable sometimes.
They fear me because I’m yucky.
Yeah, drooling and weeing all over the place.
Like you ables don’t.
— excerpt from Fear by Sam Petersen

Yucky is a group exhibition that explores the personal and political complexities that exist as part of disabled experience. The exhibition’s premise and title has been led by artist Sam Petersen in conversation with ACE.

Featuring new and recent work by a mix of pivotal Australian and international contemporary artists, the exhibition centres the perspectives and experiences of those who are disabled, chronically ill and neurodivergent.

Yucky has been developed by Sam Petersen, facilitated by Rayleen Forester, Grace Marlow and Patrice Sharkey, in conversation with public program curators William Maggs and Hen Vaughan.

Download the simple english document.

Listen to the exhibition audio description.

Feature Image: Sam Petersen, 'Wee', 2020, digital photograph. Courtesy of the artist.

Lead Artist

Sam Petersen

Facilitators

Rayleen Forester,

Grace Marlow,

Patrice Sharkey

Public Program Curators

Hen Vaughan,

William Maggs

Artists

Josh Campton,

Sophie Cassar,

Makeda Duong,

Lorcan Hopper,

Elizabeth Reed,

Finnegan Shannon

'Yucky' (2024), exhibition view, Adelaide Contemporary Experimental. Photography by Sam Roberts.

I'm 39 years old. I have mousey brown braided hair in the style of Katniss Everdeen and fair skin. I’m wearing plain clear pink framed glasses, a grey shirt and a green jumper. I'm looking at the camera like I know everything with a slight smile.

Sam Petersen is a queer visual artist, writer and performer and an AAC and power wheelchair user, living and working by the Birrarung, on the stolen lands of the Wurundjeri and Boonwurrung people of the Kulin nation.

I’m interested in what can be done with one’s identity and the space around it. Both my body and mind, touching everyday feelings between the rational, the playful and the political. Of course, this is often to do with my disability and my sexuality. My work has been focused on access, and the lack of it — to places, people’s minds and opportunities.

Sam completed a Bachelor of Fine Art at the Victorian College of the Arts, Melbourne in 2016. Sam has exhibited and performed widely including Liquid Architecture (2019); TCB (2017); West Space (2017, 2018, 2020); Bus Projects (2017, 2021); and Incinerator Gallery (2018). Sam presented a major solo exhibition My pee is political with Darren Knight Gallery, Sydney (2020); and exhibited in Overlapping Magisteria, The 2020 Macfarlane Commissions, ACCA, Melbourne, curated by Max Delany and Miriam Kelly.

Sam Petersen has been supported by Creative Australia.
The Yucky Public Program Curators are supported by the Government of South Australia through the Richard Llewellyn Deaf and Disability Arts program.
This project is presented and supported by Adelaide Festival.
The Yucky Reading Room is supported by the City of Adelaide.
The Culture Brothers are supported by Tutti Arts.