Vernissage:
18.00 GaMa
Opening of the exhibition* and performance by Ania Nowak To the Aching Parts! (Manifesto) performed by Ala Urwał
20.00 GaMA
march with Alternative für Drag (AfD) to the Pawilon
21.00 Pawilon
Alternative für Drag (AfD) performance with the pozqueer** collective.
23.00 Lokum Stonewall
afterparty: Poznań Pride
* On the day of the opening, the exhibition is open until 10 pm.
** Due to the limited number of seats for the event, free tickets are required to be picked up at the opening at the Gallery.
In August 2015, Julita Wójcik’s art installation, Rainbow, disappeared for good from Warsaw’s Saviour Square. Although the piece was initially intended as a universal symbol of openness and understanding, it was frequently vandalized and demolished. Eventually the piece became, against the author’s intention, a symbol of cultural warfare and festering social divisions within Polish society. Soon afterwards, the national-populist Law and Justice party came into power, heralding what they referred to as ‘good change’. The party’s following eight-year rule significantly influenced the shape of public debate and contributed to the deepening of social tensions. The doctrine that was referred to as ‘good change’ extended to historical and cultural policy, as well as art institutions, which increasingly became an arena for the struggle over symbols and historical narratives. The exhibition LGBT+ Zones: Queer Art in Times of ‘Good Change’ presents the work of queer artists in the context of social, cultural, and political changes that took place in the past decade.
The title of the exhibition refers to the controversial ‘LGBT-free zone’ resolutions adopted by local governments in the years 2019–2020, encompassing almost a third of the country’s territory. Their adoption was the culmination of a populist, dehumanizing campaign driven by the public media, elected officials, and representatives of the Roman Catholic Church. It was a period not only of deteriorating living conditions and a declining sense of security for the LGBT+ community in Poland, but also – just as importantly – a period of intense struggles for human rights and cultural and generational change. As a result, we no longer regard the ‘good change’ as a symbol of a homo-, trans-, and queerphobic political campaigns, but rather as an impulse that led to the emergence of tools and structures designed to support the queer struggle for survival and dignity.
This process has included both the development of new forms of activism and radical protest, as well as the re-evaluation of the discourse on gender and sexual identities. It is also no longer the case that protests are taking place only in major cities. Equality marches and demonstrations are also now organized in smaller towns, clearly demonstrating that queer people are indeed everywhere, even in rural areas. Further ‘minorities-in-minority’, such as trans and non-binary people, are also gaining representation, interrupting the status quo established by the gay male hegemony. There are increasing efforts to use inclusive language, create safer spaces, and address mental health struggles.
All this has also influenced the flourishing of queer art, intersecting with the activities of LGBT+ artists, who are often actively engaged in activism and research. Protest became a venue for the presentation of art, and the exhibition space became a space for protest. Limited access to public institutions has led to the independent creation of an alternative circulation for queer art and thought. Newly formed collectives, grassroots projects, and clubs became safe spaces for LGBT+ practice and art, taking over tasks previously carried out by cultural institutions. Queer culture seeped into the fractures, squeezed in where no one wanted it, and ripped apart the ossified heteronormativity from within. Queer culture was never a fad from the West, as conservative politicians had tried to label it. The fact that queer is now in fashion has been bought with a constant struggle for visibility and space – the creation of autonomous ‘zones’ functioning in accordance with their own rules.
The exhibition LGBT+ Zones: Queer Art in Times of ‘Good Change’ takes on the form of a historical retrospective in order to examine the not so distant past from a certain distance. The proposed thematic zones subversively map out the above artistic phenomena and attitudes. The Chronicle examines art directly related to resistance and reactions to systemic violence – from grassroots efforts involving the creation of alternative circuits of art and knowledge, to activities at the intersection of art and activism. The Barn is a manifesto for the capture of history and national symbols – in the spirit of a folk turn, it interrupts existing narratives and introduces voices from the peripheries. The Chamber is a space for the affirmation of queer bodies and identities which, through their very existence, transgress established norms. The final section is the Movement Zone – a programme of performances, guided tours, events, and interventions that will take place in Pawilon, the exhibition space, and on the streets of Poznań, providing a platform for discussions and drag and performative practices.
By highlighting how the changes in political life and institutional structures have influenced LGBT+ artistic practices, the ways in which artists respond to social conflicts and oppression, and narratives of experience that emerge from their work, the exhibition offers a panorama of queer and non-normative strategies, voices, and identities. Queer pride in this case is both a form of protest and a celebration of diversity and encompasses both political manifestos of dissent, attempts to rewrite official historical narratives, alternative visions of social solidarity, and seemingly innocuous, exaggerated, or camp gestures.
Gabi Skrzypczak, Tomek Pawłowski-Jarmołajew
participants: Edna Baud, Olga Dziubak, Filip Kijowski, Daniel Kotowski, Ania Nowak, Małgorzata Mycek, Kinga Michalska & Sarah Chouinard-Poirier, Karol Radziszewski, Kacper Szalecki, Sergey Shabohin, Filipka Rutkowska, Daniel Rycharski, Mikołaj Sobczak, Liliana Zeic, Przemysław Piniak, Sebulec, Bart Staszewski, kolektywy: KEM, X-philes, Pozqueer, Slamka
curatorial team: Gabi Skrzypczak, Tomek Pawłowski-Jarmołajew
curator of the programme of performances : Andrzej Pakuła
exhibition architecture: Billy Morgan
substantive consultations: Michał Grzegorzek
graphic design: Maciej Bychowski, Gosia Ciernioch
translation: Joanna Figiel
Co-financed by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage from the Cultural Promotion Fund
