Artist David McDiarmid died tragically young from AIDS, but his legacy lives on

David McDiarmid always wanted to be a famous artist. In 1991, Sydney's Syme Dodson Gallery presented Kiss of Light, a solo show comprising McDiarmid's work responding to the AIDS crisis and its impact on the gay community. Worried she wasn't the right person for the politically sensitive task of managing a queer man's estate, Gray argued one of McDiarmid's gay male friends would be a more suitable choice. Gray says McDiarmid's is "definitely an enduring voice," however. "The looseness of politics and work" highlights how far LGBTQI+ rights and gay art have come since the 90s, says Gray.