Kirin J Callinan has been charged by police after allegedly flashing his penis on the red carpet at last year’s Aria awards.

Callinan, an Australian musician, was charged on Monday with wilful and obscene exposure in a public place, according to court documents. In New South Wales, the charge can attract a fine of $1,100 or a six-month prison sentence.

He was due to appear in a Sydney court later this month.

The documents allege Callinan exposed himself at the Star Casino just after 4pm on 28 November. It is alleged he deliberately exposed his penis in front of photographers and members of the press while wearing a kilt.

In a statement to the Guardian Australia, Callinan’s artist manager, Todd Wagstaff, confirmed the incident was “currently before the court”.

“It is therefore not appropriate to make a comment at this stage,” he said. “Kirin will be speaking about the matter at the appropriate time.”

An artist with a reputation as a provocateur, the Arias incident prompted backlash from some within the music industry.

In January, Brisbane rapper Sian Vandermuelen, who performs as Miss Blanks, confirmed she had sought Callinan’s removal from the lineup of the summer Laneway festival.

He was eventually dropped from the lineup, with Vandermuelen telling Triple J’s Hack program the alleged act “shouldn’t be tolerated”.

Kirin J Callinan in a kilt on the red carpet outside the Aria awards on 28 November. Photograph: Dan Himbrechts/AAP

Callinan has not spoken about the Arias incident, but last week he wrote a long post on Instagram defending Vandermuelen from criticism and admitting he was disappointed to be removed from the festival lineup.

“To say I’m a wee bit disappointed that I will not also be performing for every dusty, sexy, sunburnt woman & man & non-binary human ‘round this beaut n dusty sunburnt land is the understatement o the new year,” he wrote.

“But more important than some rocking concert, more relevant than resentment or regrets, is respect – for each & every one o us.



“So, be kinder to each other in 2018, be kinder to yourselves and perhaps, one day not too far from now, the world will be big enough, for all of us.”