1968 –’71 : Studied modern dance with Artor Turnbull of Ballet Victoria.
1969 – ’74 : Studied art/yoga/philosophy with Murry “Latimer” Triggs of Adelaide, (Swami Karunananda).
1972 – ’75 : Studied yoga/Vedanta/meditation/music/comparative religion at the Shivananda Jungle University, Rishikesh, India.
1972 – ‘75 : Danced, wrote and performed rock operas on the beaches of Goa, India.
1977 - ‘85 : 1) First of my fund-raising multi-media happenings for which I silk-screened various posters and papered the walls of Sydney with them, now in the archives of the National gallery Canberra. 1)Arrested for trespass at the White Bay anti-uranium riots produced benefit at Balmain Town Hall “Blood on the Streets”, silk-screening poster and wall-papering Sydney. 2) 2nd Anti-uranium fundraiser with poster held at Paddington Town Hall. 3) Benefit for Jail News with silk-screen poster held at Tin Sheds Art Gallery. 4) Benefit for Garibaldis Café/Community Centre in Darlinghurst with silk-screened fleuro poster. 5) Benefit for Prisoners’ Action Group with black and white silk-screened poster held at Garibaldis Café. 6) Silk-screen poster and co-ordinator of Science-fiction Festival of art and movies held at Stanley Palmers Community Centre, Darlinghurst. 7) Benefit for the Settlement, Koori Community Centre in Chippendale with silk-screen poster. 8) Multi-coloured silk-screen poster on computer print-out paper for fund-raising sports event for Prisoners Action Group.
1978 : Hand-printed silk-screen poster for Punk/pop band XL Capris.
1979 – ’90 : Studied film animation with Eddie vander Madden, Dutch animation master.
1979 : Wrote, produced, filmed and animated 60 minute Super-8 film “My Survival as a Deviant” with multi-coloured silk-screen poster of photo montage and drawing.
1979 : Attended animation workshop at AFTRS.
1980 : Won the Noel Chettle Art prize for portraiture for XL Capris poster.
1980 : Comic strip "No Future" printed for a year in Tharunka, student newspaper at Uni. of N.S.W.
1980 : Wrote and drew comic book “No Future” for Headmaster Press, print-run of 5000.
1982 : Painted Mural/graffiti on squat wall in Darlinghurst “Darling it Hurtz” as title for film.
1982 : Designed book-cover for “Real Men Like Violence” by Glen Lewis.
1983 : Silk-screened multi-coloured fleuro poster on architects drawing paper “No Future” with design from comic book.
1983 : Painted 1st mural for W’loo Mural Project called “Choke” but destroyed due to shoddy construction, beautiful framed photo print still exists in Art Gallery of N.S.W. somewhere.
1983 : Painted 2nd mural for Woolloomoolloo Railway Pylons Mural Project which was in place for 25 years but disappeared, possibly destroyed in 2009.
1984 : Wrote, animated, produced and directed 16ml animated film “The Thief of Sydney”, premiered at Academy Cinema in Paddington, exhibited worldwide, winner of Bronze Dragon, Krakow Animation Fest 1985 (Poland) and ATOM Children’s Panel Award Best Animation 1985 (Australia).
1984 : Short story “Welcome to the Mens” for Gay Anthology “Edge City” edited by Gary Dunne.
1985 : First one man exhibition at Artspace Gallery of art from “The Thief of Sydney”.
1985 : Designed covers, cartoons and comic strips for calendars, diaries and posters for Panic Merchants Press run by libertarians at Pyrmont Squats.
1985 : Painted mural on wall of Pyrmont Squats in Scott St. called “Dolphin Human Evolution.”
1985 : Wrote and drew comic strip “An Extra’s Eye View of Mad Max 3” for Film-News.
1986 : Wrote, produced and directed video drama “Dirt Opera.”
1986 : Designed poster and cover for Video Magazine “Off Air” Issue No.5
1986 : Directed and animated music video-clip “Sunday School” for Johanna Piggot’s band “Scribble” receiving extensive television airplay. Also design cover for record’s single.
1986 : Release of 40 minute Super 8 film “Darling It Hurts!” which I wrote, animated, produced and directed. My films played in Sydney’s underground culture of cafes, squats, warehouses, pubs and halls.
1987 : Comic strip “Anyhow Get Cancer!” published by Penguin in “Australian Underground Comics”.
1987 : Short story “Alec Farthing” for Gay Anthology “Being Different” edited by Gary Witherspoon.
1990 : Completed B.A. Degree in Communications at Uni. of Technology Sydney, majoring in Writing and Text Studies.
1991 : Release of 67 minute sci-fi musical burlesque “Virgin Beasts”, a 16ml feature film which I wrote, acted in, animated, produced and directed. Designed offset-printed poster and flyers for film. Included in festivals worldwide, Sitges Intenat. Sci-Fi and Fantasy Film Fest. Barcelona Spain ’95, Underground Film fest Hawai ’98, Sydney Gay and Lesbian Film fest ’97, Nimbin Spring Arts Fest. ’96, Melbourne Underground Film Fest 2007.
1993 : Public reading of Sci-Fi story “Man’s World” at Harold Park Hotel for Gay Writers’ season for GBLT Mardi Gras Fest.
1994 : Organized and performed in benefit for Vittorio Bianchi of Piccolo Café at Les Girls Nightclub in Kings Cross, with offset printed poster and flyer.
1995 : Created music group “Deadbeat and Gronky”, songs with animations projected overhead, performing in many Sydney venues such as Palladium at he Cross, Kinsellas at Taylors Square, Mr. Goodbar in Oxford St. and Byron Bay Music Fest.
1996 : “Virgin Beasts” is co-winner with Japan of the 1st International Festival of Trash Film, Lille France 1996, distributed worldwide by Troma Movie Co of New York.
1997 : Designed postcards for Piccolo Café, print-run of 10,000.
1997 : One man exhibition of artworks at Roland Hump Gallery in Redfern titled “Hard Edges”
2001 : Public reading of short story “7 Fucks in a Sex Shop” for Dangerous Desires at Gay Pride Headquarters, Taylor Square.
2002 : Participated in many group exhibitions from Opera House Gallery in 1977 to the Gunnery Squat Gallery in 1990, Jan Taylor Gallery in Balmain to the Hogarth Galleries in Paddington, 10 Taylor St. Gallery to Tap Gallery in Darlinghurst, Piccolo Café to Rex Hotel in Kings Cross, N.S.W. Art Gallery Domain to National Gallery Canberra.
2005 : Designed cover for Kings Cross Arts Guild Events Calendar.
2005 : Winner Judges Prize “Images of the Cross” Kings Cross Arts Fest for “Beware the Gronks in the City of Lost Punters” B/W drawing, ink on paper.
2006 : Exhibition of 21 Artworks from ’79 to ’05 depicting “Kings Cross” at Kings Cross Library for Kings Cross Arts Festival.
2006 : Created ongoing Blog “Toby the Punk Poofy Cat” at tobyzoates.blogspot.com
2007 : Winner People’s Choice Award “Images of the Cross” at Kings Cross Arts Fest for acrylic painting “New Years Eve at the Pink Pussy Cat 1980”.
2008 : Designed colour poster for Jon Hewitts movie “Dark Love Story”.
2009 : Silk-screen Posters produced at the Tin sheds in late ‘70s and early ‘80s in many archives including Mitchell Library, Power House Museum, National Gallery Canberra, National Gallery NSW, Joseph Lebovic Poster Gallery Paddington.
2010 : Exhibition “The Grunge of Virgin Beasts” of stills, animation cells, posters, flyers and production notes from the film at Newtown Library as part of the Newtown Fringe Festival.
2012 : Exhibition - Toby Zoates Regurgitated; Post Modern, Post Punk, Post Apocalyptic Posters and Paintings 1978 to 2012 at Damien Minton gallery, Redfern Sydney with monologue "My SOB Story".
If you enjoyed this story please go to the WEB
address above and consider buying my book of tales about growing up
anarcho-queer, rock and roll punter and mystic adventurer in Australia and India
of the 1950s, ‘60s and ‘70s.
