Preserving lesbian history, one portrait at a time

Artist Stacey Bennett says her project has turned into a huge archive of lesbian lives. (Supplied: Stacey Bennett) Link copiedShareShare articleWhen Stacey Bennett came out at 14, she felt alone. "It was terrifying given there were no lesbian role models for me to look up to," she says. Today, the Geelong-based portrait artist is making sure future generations don't ever feel like she did. Bennett, who lives in Victoria with her wife and two children, has just completed an ambitious and deeply personal project: painting portraits of 100 lesbians from across Australia. "If there were 100 lesbians profiled for me as a 14-year-old, I would have taken comfort in their stories," she says. Through her Lesbians of Australia series, she is documenting lives that have often been overlooked, creating an archive that celebrates the diversity and resilience of queer communities. Stacey Bennett hopes her work is seen as a celebration of lesbian lives in all their complexity. (Supplied: Stacey Bennett) What began as an artistic idea has evolved into something much larger. "I started researching lesbians throughout history, particularly closeted women from old Hollywood, and I realised how difficult so many of those stories were to find," Bennett says. "Then I had this thought: there are countless important stories right here, right now, across Australia — stories that could be at my fingertips." She started posting callouts online and painting the people who responded. "[It] slowly turned into this huge archive of lesbian lives that contain the complexities of identity, relationships, grief, love, humour and resilience," she says. "The motivation has always been visibility. "But since meeting all these amazing people and spending hours painting each face, it's become more about celebrating our community and sharing stories that people can connect to." Portrait artist Stacey Bennett works in her studio in Geelong, Victoria. (Supplied: Stacey Bennett) An artist from an early age, Bennett studied a Bachelor of Illustration in her twenties. "I was constantly painting," she says. "It was then that I began to explore how colour, marks and composition could communicate emotion." "I want lesbians and queer people to feel seen with the same tenderness and complexity that's shared with me when I sit with them for an hour and listen to them speak about their lives." For Bennett, the word "lesbian" itself carries significance. "To me, the term lesbian carries history, community, rebellion, tenderness and identity all at once," she says. "I also think the word is evolving. The conversations we're having around gender and identity are more nuanced than ever, and I think there's room for complexity within the label." She deliberately created a space for anyone who felt connected to the term. Portrait artist Stacey Bennett says she wants to make sure future generations of LGBTQ+ people don't feel alone. (Supplied: Stacey Bennett) Before putting brush to canvas, Bennett spends time getting to know each participant, often through long video calls discussing identity, relationships and life experiences. "Sometimes those conversations are emotional and we both cry," she says. "Other times they're fun, chaotic or wildly unexpected." During these conversations, she photographs her subjects, searching for moments of authenticity rather than carefully staged poses. "I want to capture someone mid-thought, remembering an old love, laughing at themselves, or reflecting on what being a lesbian has meant in their life," she says. "I use expressive marks, layered inks and oil pastels to build feeling into the portrait. I'm less interested in perfect realism and more interested in capturing someone's essence." Among the 100 portraits she has painted over the last two years, Bennett has many stand-outs. One is Cecily, an 83-year-old woman whose reflections on love and loss moved her deeply. "After our conversation, I sobbed to my wife," she recalls. Stacey Bennett was deeply moved by 83-year-old Cecily's reflections on love and loss. (Supplied: Stacey Bennett) Born in 1941, Cecily shared memories of her relationship with Margaret, her partner of more than 40 years. Before meeting Margaret, she had built a life with a husband and children, but finding her partner later in life changed everything. When Margaret developed dementia, Cecily became her carer and remained by her side until her death. "She spoke with such tenderness about Margaret's courage to keep going," Bennett says. "Cecily spoke about remembering both the joyful memories and the painful ones. To her, every memory was a testament to the depth of the love they shared. This has changed the way I think about the hard times in life." The project has also introduced Bennett to voices from a variety of communities across Australia. In Lightning Ridge, New South Wales, she met Tiarnie, a 24-year-old Kamilaroi and Murrawarri woman navigating life as both a les

Preserving lesbian history, one portrait at a time

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