Art is increasingly becoming more than a form of creative expression. For LGBTQIA+ communities, it can also create visibility, encourage connection and provide opportunities to share experiences.

In Western Sydney, artist Bonnie Huang’s Dare to Dream project is bringing these ideas together through a multimedia installation at Westfield Parramatta.

The project brought together around 70 community members from areas including Mount Druitt, Bankstown, Blacktown, Parramatta and Granville over nine months. Many participants did not know each other before joining the project. Together, they created personal shrine-like sculptures reflecting their identities, experiences and cultural backgrounds.

The project highlights an important challenge for LGBTQIA+ communities in Western Sydney: access to dedicated spaces where people can connect. Unlike Sydney’s inner city, Western Sydney does not have one centralised queer community space, according to ACON Westie.

For some participants, finding community has meant travelling considerable distances. Drag performer Kaia Papaya, who grew up in Sydney’s south-west, recalled travelling to the CBD to find a stronger queer community.

Culture is another important part of the conversation. Western Sydney is one of Australia’s most culturally diverse regions, and the project explores how LGBTQIA+ identity can intersect with language, family, culture and religion.

By placing the installation inside a major shopping centre, the project also moves LGBTQIA+ stories beyond traditional gallery settings and into an everyday public environment.

The collaboration between artists, community organisations and residents demonstrates how creative projects can bring people together around shared experiences while making different identities more visible.

For LGBTQIA+ communities, art can therefore serve multiple purposes, storytelling, representation, connection and community-building.

Can art help create the spaces where communities feel seen, heard and connected?