Exhibition Dates: February 2024 – April 2025

Curators: Dr Liz Bradshaw (Head Curator, December 2022 – March 2024) and George Savoulis (Curator September 2023 – April 2024; Curatorial Director April 2024 – June 2025)

Dykes on Bikes was an inaugural exhibition at Qtopia Sydney documenting the history and ongoing legacy of Australia’s longest-running dyke-identified motorcycle club and one of the country’s oldest LGBTQIA+ community organisations. Formed in 1988, originally under the name the Vixens, the group emerged following a visit by founding members to San Francisco Gay Pride in 1987.

The exhibition traces the group’s central role at the head of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade, a position held since 1988 in recognition of their patrols of gay beats across Darlinghurst, Surry Hills, and Newtown between 1988 and 2010. Initiated by community figure Nora Savona, these patrols aimed to deter gay bashing and support community safety.

Archival photographs, ephemera, and oral histories document the group’s activism, involvement in HIV/AIDS community responses, and continued activities including rides, fundraising, and participation in trans, gender-diverse, and regional pride events.