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Karol Radziszewski: Queer Archives Institute

20. June 2019 – 23. September 2019

Karol Radziszewski: Queer Archives Institute

A cooperation between HAU Hebbel am Ufer and Schwules Museum Berlin

Vernissage: 19. June 2019, 7pm

A treasure chest of memories and stories: The Queer Archives Institute is an artistic project founded by Karol Radziszewski dedicated to research, collection, digitalization, presentation, exhibition, analysis, and artistic interpretation of queer archives and memory, with a special focus on Central and Eastern Europe. In light of the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall uprising the exhibition (curated by Ricardo Carmona) presents new perspectives and narratives of queer activism that hadn’t always been visible beside classic western Pride success stories. The project is a collaboration with HAU Hebbel am Ufer and part of the festival The Present is not Enough.

Bán Mari, 1981, photo by LenkeSzilágyi, courtesy of Mária Takács

Artist’s Statement

“Post-socialist states, where many historical threads have been ruptured or, indeed, never actually emerged, are witnessing attempts to construct national identities anew and develop new narratives. History, including art history, is largely (re)con-structed and sometimes manipulated depending on the current political conditions. In my artistic practice, I take special interest in strategies that provide possibilities to actively respond to these processes. I am interested in reviewing history, rewriting it from my own perspective and complementing main narratives with neglected threads, with a particular focus on minority voices. My efforts towards queering and decolonizing history are founded on the archives that I acquire and study.

Bio

Karol Radziszewski is a multi-disciplinary artist based in Warsaw. His archive-based methodology, crosses multiple cultural, historical, religious, social and gender references. Since 2005 he is publisher and editor-in-chief of DIK Fagazine. Founder of the Queer Archives Institute (2015). His work has been presented in institutions such as the Museum of Modern Art, Warsaw; Whitechapel Gallery, London; Kunsthalle Wien, Vienna; New Museum, New York; Kunsthaus Graz; VideoBrasil, Sao Paulo; Cobra Museum, Amsterdam; Wroclaw Contemporary Museum; Ludwig Museum, Budapest; Muzeum Sztuki in Lodz. He has participated in several international biennales including PERFORMA 13, New York; 7th Göteborg Biennial; 4th Prague Biennial.

„The Present Is Not Enough – Performing Queer Histories and Futures” is a festival by HAU Hebbel am Ufer. Funded by the Federal Cultural Foundation in Germany (Kulturstiftung des Bundes).