Queer nightlife, identity and portraiture at Watt Space

Watt Space Gallery is stepping into the world of queer nightlife this September, with Australian-born, London-based photographer Damien Frost bringing his acclaimed Night Flowers series to Newcastle as part of New Annual.

From Friday, 25 September, Night Flowers will bring together a decade of portraits from London’s late-night clubs, cabaret venues and surrounding streets, alongside newly commissioned works featuring Newcastle’s queer and alternative communities.

At its core, Night Flowers explores photography and self-presentation, capturing the collaborative and often theatrical process between photographer and subject.

Frost’s original series documents drag artists, club kids, cabaret performers, goths and other nocturnal figures, with costume, gesture and performance becoming powerful tools for self-expression.

For New Annual, Frost has created a new body of work focused on Newcastle and the wider region’s drag, queer and cabaret communities. Developed through a residency at Watt Space Gallery, the new portraits extend the exhibition’s exploration of identity, performance, place and belonging.

Together, the two bodies of work look at how location shapes community and self-representation, and how photography can both document and take part in the ongoing construction of identity.

The exhibition launch will take place on Sunday, 27 September, with an artist talk at 2pm followed by the official launch at 3pm. A free glass of bubbles will be served on arrival.

Night Flowers: Damien Frost

When: Friday, 25 September – Saturday, 7 November 2026
Where: Watt Space Gallery, Newcastle
Time: During New Annual, 10:00am – 9:00pm. Artist talk Sunday, 27 September at 2:00pm, launch at 3:00pm
Cost: Free
To book, visit Night Flowers: Damien Frost