Queertopia: It Takes a Village – Groupshow
Alexandra Baumgartner, Norbert Bisky, Beka Bolkvadze, Carina Brandes, Kelli Jean Drinkwater, Antonio Da Silva, Anita Dube, Nils Dunkel, EVA & ADELE, Arlene Gottfried, Bertram Hasenauer, Roey Heifetz, Yousef Iskandar, Rajkamal Kahlon, Jürgen Klauke, Rona Kobel, Friedrich Kunath, Cabrita Moreno, Kieran Moore, Onorato&Krebs, Jack Pierson, Benyamin Reich, Michael Rockel, Jehoshua Rozenman, Christian Schad, Elizabeth Schmirl u.a.
In our society, everyone is classified as either male or female. This binary conception results in a system of pre-defined desires, needs, and roles tailor-made for men, women, and the heterosexual relationship between the two sexes. “Queertopia” offers a space where we no longer regard gender roles and relations as fixed but as continual attempts to experience ourselves as active subjects within society. It reflects playfully, humorously and critically on the ideal of perfect love, free from social constraints and gender norms. With its diverse selection of works by queer, homo- and heterosexual artists, 68projects wants to render visible and inspire queer life-worlds in the domain of art.
This summer, 68projects’ exhibition “Queertopia” presents works by over 25 artists. Using oil paintings, works on paper, videos, installations, photographs, sculptures and other media, the artists explore themes of corporality, sexuality, gender identity and the expectations of a society based on a binary gender model.
In contemporary society, individuals are typically classified as either male or female. This binary conception results in a system of predefined desires, needs and roles, tailored to men, women and the heterosexual relationship between the two sexes.
But what happens if we think one—or even several—steps further? If gender roles and relationships are no longer regarded as fixed, but rather as continuous attempts to experience ourselves as active subjects within society? What might an interaction with socially necessary norms look like? How flexible are our conceptions of partnership, identity and the body? Where are the limits? Can a single individual act out all of their desires within society? What defines the compromises that make social interaction possible, and how much ambiguity—as the basis for diverse self-realisation—can society tolerate? What must the individual contribute, and what is society’s responsibility?
“Queertopia” offers a space to explore these questions, reflecting playfully, humorously and critically on the ideal of perfect love, free from social constraints and gender norms. Through a diverse selection of works by queer, homosexual and heterosexual artists, 68projects seeks to make queer life worlds visible and to inspire them within the field of art.
Participating artists:
Alexandra Baumgartner, Norbert Bisky, Beka Bolkvadze, Carina Brandes, Kelli Jean Drinkwater, Anita Dube, EVA & ADELE, Arlene Gottfried, Bertram Hasenauer, Roey Heifetz, Yousef Iskandar, Rajkamal Kahlon, Jürgen Klauke, Rona Kobel, Friedrich Kunath, Servando Cabrera Moreno, Kieran Moore, Jack Pierson, Benyamin Reich, Michael Rockel, Jehoshua Rozenman, Christian Schad, Elizabeth Schmirl, Karlheinz Weinberger, and others.