Glenn Walls – SUPER CREATIVE GRID

MPavilion Proposal – 2027

Artist statement

This exhibition explores the histories of queer communities in Melbourne who, between the 1970s and early 2000s, formed networks within hidden sites to navigate social exclusion and heteropatriarchal control, many of which became sites of violence and loss. Through the ongoing series Massacre – Bodies That Matter (2018–2027), the works foreground the marginalisation and harm experienced by LGBTQI+ individuals, examining how societal judgment and institutional neglect contributed to these conditions. Drawing on Italian architectural group Superstudio’s Continuous Monument, the exhibition reworks its reflective, monumental aesthetic to confront viewers with distorted self-images, prompting reflection on visibility, exclusion, and the idea of the “aberrant” body. By inserting references to marginalised identities into both a historically utopian yet exclusionary architectural vision and a contemporary modernist pavilion, the exhibition challenges dominant art and cultural narratives, calling for a deeper recognition of queer histories and more inclusive ways of understanding identity, space, and representation.

Connection to MPavilion

This exhibition responds to the history of violence and policing at a queer beat in Melbourne’s Alexandra Gardens, located within the periphery of MPavilion, where hidden sites of connection for LGBTQI+ communities also became locations of harassment, entrapment, and assault. Drawing on historical accounts, the work highlights how queer people were once criminalised and judged as “mistakes” by both authorities and dominant social attitudes, often with the support of religious and institutional power. In reclaiming the term “mistake,” the exhibition reframes it as a form of resistance and identity, asserting the resilience and presence of queer communities. Ultimately, the work emphasises that queer identity cannot be erased, while calling attention to the ongoing need to acknowledge and confront these histories.

Glenn Walls. Massacre Super Pride (Superstudio – The Continuous Monument, 1969). Mirror tiles, skate wheels and mirrored plinth.

Glenn Walls. Massacre Super Pride (Superstudio – The Continuous Monument, 1969). Mirror tiles, skate wheels and mirrored plinth.

Glenn Walls. Massacre Super Pride (Superstudio – The Continuous Monument, 1969). Mirror tiles, skate wheels and mirrored plinth.

Glenn Walls. Massacre Super Pride (Superstudio – The Continuous Monument, 1969). Mirror tiles, skate wheels and mirrored plinth.

Glenn Walls. Massacre (Desperately Seeking Madonna). 2026. Drawing. 29 x 42 cms

Glenn Walls. Massacre (Desperately Seeking Madonna). 2026. Drawing. 29 x 42 cms

Glenn Walls. Massacre (Desperately Seeking Madonna). 2026. Drawing. 29 x 42 cms

Glenn Walls. Massacre (Disco Glare). 2018/2024. Baseball bat and mirror tiles.

Glenn Walls. Massacre (Disco Glare). 2018/2024. Baseball bat and mirror tiles.

Glenn Walls. Massacre (Disco Glare). 2018/2024. Baseball bat and mirror tiles.

Glenn Walls. Massacre (I am one of God’s mistakes). 2007/2023. Perspex mirror and MDF Board. 120 x 240 cms