Meet Sean Simon: the Tech Artist and Leatherman electrifying Sydney’s Bear and Fetish Parties

Sean Simon is a Sydney-based multidisciplinary artist who embraces his leatherman and otter identities through experimental digital art. He has created cutting-edge visuals for gay dance parties, including Inquisition, Underbear, Bear Pit, and BARBA. He is a zillenial that flags hunter green on the right and resides in the heart of Darlinghurst, New South Wales.

Luka Musicki (L.M.): Welcome, Sean, to the interview. I am glad I was able to schedule a sit-down with you despite your busy schedule. So, tell us what you have been up to recently?

Sean Simon (S.S.): Great to be here! Harbour City Bears (HCB) celebrated their 30th anniversary at Sydney Mardi Gras, featuring a wide range of events throughout the month. I managed to contribute by creating the moving visuals for the sexy Underbear party held at Aura (formerly Arq) and Sauna X.

The theme was Cruising, so I explored bearded boats with leather-clad underwater animals. I used a combination of GenAI tools, 3D software, and 2D compositing. It was a fun challenge designing for Aura’s ultra-wide screen ratio. I’d like to give a shout-out to the hardworking HCB committee members, volunteers, DJs, and photographers who invested their time, money, and hearts into making the events a success.

L.M.: So, tell us about how you found your queer community?

S.S.: As a young gay man, I went to Twenty10 (a queer youth group), where I met a wonderfully vibrant group of friends who helped me connect with my queer identity. On the night I hit 18, I danced the night away at Palms on Oxford St. Shortly thereafter, I found myself at Harbour City Bears, Sydney Hellfire Club, The HIDE, and I found my heart and my tribe in the leather and bear scene.

L.M.: How did you get into making art for dance parties?

S.S.: I got my foot in the door by making some subversive 3D promo art for my friend Andy Dexterity, who’s a performance artist. 

My good mate James took me to a psytrance event with cool holographic visuals using a hidden screen and projections that got me inspired to start making visuals for dance parties. I then got in contact with BARBA presents, an all-inclusive queer party, and I hacked together a sound-reactive VJ engine in Unity running realtime background visuals throughout the night featuring dancing septum rings and abstract sounds. I then got chatting with Harbour City Bears and made VJ art for their Underbear and Bear Pit dance parties. For the past 3 years, I’ve been designing the posters and visual identity for Haus of Savvy’s Inquisition, an inclusive fetish party, where I used the original 1993-2015 posters as my north star. I’m always trying to integrate the latest tools and tech into my practice.

L.M.: I see you mention “SLM #21” on your socials. Tell me about that.

S.S.: I’m member number 21 for Sydney Leather Men, a monthly social club that I love attending. You’ll also find me shaking my hairy ass at many local community events such as The HIDE, Harbour City Bears Friday and Sundays, TrashDaddy, Chaps, Meat Rack, Extra Dirty, Woofclub, Thick n Juicy, the list goes on. I love my community.

L.M.: Have you run for any titles?

S.S.: I competed at Sydney Mr Leather 2023. While I didn’t win, I had a truly unforgettable experience and was super stoked to see my leather brother Coach Jura to go onto compete at IML and get 4th place!

L.M.: So, you’re an experimental XR tech artist and games director. What does that involve, is it more creative or company-based?

S.S.: I’m privileged enough to be working my 9-6 as a technical artist for a tech agency where I come up with ideas for brands. This frees up my weekends to create queer art without worrying whether it has commercial viability. I’m traditionally a games developer, so I’m able to adopt realtime game engines, 3D programs, and creative coding into my artmaking practice. I created the following pieces in Cinema 4D and Octane, and they were each inspired by a friend.

L.M.: I can see that you have different beard styles, but the most prominent is the ‘chopper’ handlebar moustache. Can you tell me more about this choice of moustache/beard over other styles?

S.S.: One drunk night in my teens, I said what the hell, and shaved my beard down the middle this way. I haven’t looked back. It’s become a symbol of my identity. I find this style rare and sexy. Kano. Captain Boomerang. Captain Price. Sabretooth. Woof!

My hair happens to be blessed (or cursed) with the ability to grow fast enough that I need a dedicated budget for my barber visits. I’m a lot more confident with the clippers when I know my mistakes will only last a day or two.

L.M.: I did see that you were photographed by Dylan Hogdon back in December 2025, and you were in a short moustache and an Air Force outfit. What was the motivation for this type of model shoot?

S.S.: First off, what a remarkable photographer Dylan is! If you haven’t already, get yourself behind his lens. Truly a modern day mapplethorpe.

On my travels to Palm Springs Leather Week in 2025, I stopped by in San Francisco and met up with one of my daddies, who gave me inspiration.  When I touched down back home, I ordered the outfit to arrive on Thursday, the haircut on Friday, and the photoshoot on Saturday. Some of my mates took a hot minute to recognise me.

L.M.: Where else have you travelled overseas?

S.S.: I’ve been to Sitges Bear Week and both Folsoms. I did Folsom Europe and Folsom SF on the same trip so the computer scientist in me was able to A/B test them across various … benchmarks.

L.M.: Who came out on top?

S.S.: I enjoyed Folsom SF due to the sheer spectacle (and the garden parties), but Folsom Europe was pure filth and utter decadence. I highly recommend it.

L.M.: Would you say making art for the bear and leather community has helped your career?

S.S.: My community is my lifeblood, so my art is just an externalisation of who I am. Having such a passionate audience has given me a sandbox to be more human-focused and experimental.

I always look forward to creating art for the Sydney Leather Festival Art Show. In my recent series ‘Radiance’, I combined photography of my fellow leathermen with a digital depth estimation model to create a unique solarised effect.

L.M.: What’s on your horizon?

S.S.: I have an ever-expanding backlog of ideas on my Google Keep. Digital and AI design tools have made things a little too convenient, so I’d love to get back to basics. There’s something really fun about hopping back and forth between digital and analogue mediums. I’ve got an idea on the top of my list that involves bridging the realms through a lesser-known augmentation. Stay tuned.

L.M.: Thank you, Sean, for your quick reply to my main interview questions, and best of luck with your future projects. And now it is time for the quick-fire questions to round off the interview.

• Location: Sydney

• Pronouns: He/Him

• Relationship status: Single 

• Favourite Drink: Depends if there’s a daddy I’m trying to impress. Alright, fine, it’s a Strawberry Mojito.

• What type of guy are you into? Passionate and hairy. Double my age? Even better.

• What do you flag? Hunter green (right side).

• Favourite Cities/Vacation Spots: San Francisco and Berlin

• Favourite Hobby or Pastime: Couch co-op gaming

• Idea of a good date? Good food with great conversation

• What do you look for in a guy? His humour

• Where can you find yourself? 
  • Facebook: www.facebook.com/seansimonfb/
  • Instagram (Personal): www.instagram.com/hairydownunder/
  • Instagram (Those Six Faces): https://www.instagram.com/thosesixfaces

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