Queer Europe
The exhibition ‘Queer Europe’ will be available from 23 to 30 November in the District in Skladište building. The opening is scheduled for 6 p.m., and on other days the exhibition will be available from 1 to 8 p.m.
Twenty-eight artists from thirteen European countries will present their works as part of the ‘Queer Europe’ exhibition, which consists of fifty-six photographs and shows the reality of LGBT people’s lives in Europe.
At the end of October, Russia expanded the existing ban on the promotion of ‘LGBT propaganda’ among minors to include people of all ages, which would mean a ban on all mentions and depictions of LGBT people, from the Internet to books, films, advertisements, and exhibitions. Similar voices can be heard in Serbia, but also in some of the European Union member states. Visibility and freedom of expression are an integral part of the existence of every person, and therefore an important part of the existence of LGBT people. A free life cannot and must not be limited by four walls, because if it is, they represent jail cells.
That’s why the photos that make up this exhibition show all aspects of LGBT existence, from intimacy and eroticism within the four walls to walking, having fun and enjoying freedom outside the four walls. But not everything is so ‘rose coloured’ in Europe, because homophobia can show its ugly face even in those progressive and homophilic Western countries, and especially in the East. The fight against homophobia is constant and will never be over because experience shows us that the rights that have been won can be taken away very easily.
The ‘Queer Europe’ exhibition is organised by the Merlinka festival as part of the Other? Europe programme arch and is supported by the Novi Sad – European Capital of Culture Foundation, the Novi Sad City Administration for Culture, and the Ministry of Culture.
Photo 1: The photo titled ‘Hide your real feelings’ by Viktor Makhnov from Ukraine shows Dima. He is a dancer and hides his identity and his true feelings in order to work and exist.
Photo 2: The photo ‘Getting Ready’ was taken by Mary Crnković Pilas from Zagreb in June 2021. The photo shows Dino, the best friend of the photographer’s daughter, who is preparing to participate in Zagreb’s Pride Parade.
Photo 3: The photo ‘The Beginning of Summer’ was taken by Dragana Stojanović from Subotica on June 21, 2021, the beginning of summer, which is celebrated in various cultures and in different ways.
Authors:
Franziska Lange (Berlin, Germany), Marco Lessner (Berlin, Germany), Marko Stojanović (Belgrade, Serbia), Đorđe Živković (Belgrade, Serbia), Rik Versteeg (Rotterdam, the Netherlands), Orçun Karamustafa (Istanbul, Turkey), Anna Martynenko (Berlin, Germany), Byron Hamzah (Nottingham, United Kingdom), Aleksandar Crnogorac (Belgrade, Serbia), Dragana Stojanović (Subotica, Serbia), Jorge López Muñoz (Valencia, Spain), Karolina Jóźwiak (Warsaw, Poland), Louise Carpenedo (London, United Kingdom), Mary Carnkovic Pilas (Zagreb, Croatia), Nicola Smaldore (Rimini, Italy), Sebastian Franke (Leipzig, Germany), Jadwiga Janowska (Knurów, Poland), Michelle Adlerová (Prague, Czech Republic), Claire McIntyre (Berlin, Germany), Daniel Gentelev (Hamburg, Germany), Elvedin Šemsović (Novi Pazar, Serbia), Douagi Kmar (Paris, France), Les Chevaliers Photographes (France), Viktor Makhnov (Kharkiv, Ukraine), Flavie Guerrand ( Berlin, Germany), Javier de Benito (Madrid, Spain), Nanténé Traoré (Madrid, Spain).
Photo: Mary Crnkovic Pilas