John Douglas is an award-winning Australian multimedia artist whose exhibitions have received acclaim and caused controversy both in his home country and internationally.

He decided he wanted to be an artist and immediately began painting at the age of 8, and has never had any misgivings about his decision to follow the artistic path.

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He studied at the Queensland College of Art until his expulsion in 1984 for being a “disruptive and disturbing influence”, after which his career really took off.

He has had many group and solo exhibitions in Australia, including for the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras festival (1994, 1995, 1997, 2003 & 2005) and an exhibition for Sydney’s cultural festival for the 2002 Gay Games.

 

His international solo exhibitions include shows in Paris (France), Fort Lauderdale (USA), Bangkok (Thailand), Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), Geneva (Switzerland) and Shanghai (China).

 

John Douglas' commercial art endeavours include work as a cartoonist and writer for various publications and more than 15 years as a travel photographer for newspapers, magazines, and tourism agencies around the world. In 2018, he was commissioned to compose and record the one-hour music soundpiece Unearthed for the Eden Unearthed exhibition in Sydney.

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In 2025, his painting Earth And Heaven won first prize at the OutLoud exhibition at TaP Gallery, held in conjunction with the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras. In 2025 he became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.

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His art is part of the collections of The Australian Queer Archives and the world’s largest Queer History and Culture centre- Qtopia Sydney.

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