The Goethe Institute Cyprus is presenting an exhibition that narrates the history of queer movements from the late 1960s onwards, starting on September 19.
The exhibition, titled “Queer As German Folk,” was created in 2019 by the Goethe Institute in New York and the Schwules Museum in Berlin to mark the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots in New York.
It highlights key moments in the history of the queer movement in both the U.S. and Germany, without claiming to tell the only possible version of that history.
The exhibition will be showcased at the event hall of the Goethe Institute in Nicosia, alongside a parallel programme including film screenings and a guided tour (at Goethe Institute Cyprus), as well as a discussion (at NiMAC) with Birgit Bosold, co-curator of the exhibition from Schwules Museum.
Part of “Queer As German Folk” is presented within the framework of the “nono, bad timing!” exhibition, which is funded by the Franco-German Cultural Fund and organised by Queer Wave, the Goethe Institute Cyprus, and the French Institute Cyprus in collaboration with NiMAC [Nicosia Municipal Arts Centre, in partnership with the Pierides Foundation].
“nono, bad timing!” is a procedural exhibition curated by Evagoras Vanezis and coordinated by Leontios Toumpouris, focusing on the archiving of queer times and spaces.
The project, which will be displayed at NiMAC from September 20 to November 9 2024, brings together material from “Queer As German Folk,” the Marseille-based Mémoire des sexualités archive, and will also turn into a workshop in October for new proposals by queer professionals based in Cyprus.
On the night of 27–28 June 1969, queer individuals fiercely resisted a police raid at the Stonewall Inn. For many LGBTQIA communities worldwide, the days of uprising around Christopher Street in New York mark the beginning of the queer rebellion.
As a joint project of the Goethe Institute, Schwules Museum Berlin, and the Federal Agency for Civic Education, this exhibition took the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots as an opportunity to provide a glimpse into the history of queer movements in West Germany, East Germany, and reunified Germany since the 1960s, with a special focus on the multifaceted connections to U.S. movements.
The exhibition first opened in Washington on 23 May 2019, followed by displays in Montreal, Toronto, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Mexico City, and Guadalajara, as well as at Schwules Museum in Berlin.
Five years later, and on the occasion of the 55th anniversary of the Stonewall riots in New York, the exhibition is being presented in Cyprus, accompanied by a parallel programme of events.
Selected films will provide deeper insight into certain aspects of the exhibition. Screenings begin on Tuesday, 8 October with the film Kokon (2020, directed by Leonie Krippendorff), in which teenage Nora experiences a summer of change and transformation.
Screenings continue on Wednesday, 9 October with the film Coming Out (1989, directed by Heiner Carow), which is described as the first and only feature film about gay life produced in communist East Germany, premiering on the night of the fall of the Berlin Wall, 9 November 1989.
The screenings conclude on Thursday, October 10 with the film Genderation (2021, directed by Monika Treut), which explores the trans movement in San Francisco and what has changed over the past twenty years since her film Gendernauts (1999). On October 18, a guided tour of the exhibition will take place at Goethe Institute, with the co-curator of the exhibition in attendance.
The programme will conclude with a presentation and discussion with Birgit Bosold on the history of Schwules Museum Berlin, its strategy, work, and challenges. This event will take place at NiMAC on 19 October at 11 a.m. as part of “nono, bad timing!”
The exhibition and parallel programme in Nicosia are funded by the Franco-German Cultural Fund.
Nicosia, Goethe Institute (22674606). Opening: Thursday, 19 September. Duration: until 26 October (Tues-Fri 4-7 p.m. and Sat 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Closed on 1/10 and 3/10). Free entrance.
PARALLEL PROGRAMME: Screenings at 7:30 p.m.: Kokon on 8 October, Coming Out on 9 October, Genderation on 10 October (English dialogue, no subtitles). Guided tour with co-curator (Schwules Museum Berlin) on 18 October at 6 p.m. Discussion on 19 October at 11 a.m., at NiMAC.
LANGUAGE: English (films in original language with English subtitles).
