This exhibition is about the experience of a refugee life. When the full-scale russian* invasion of Ukraine began, the artist left her home. Since then she has changed her bed twenty-one times. Based on her own experience, she noticed that her life began to divide into eras, which are separated by the changes of places she sleeps in. Each new journey is a turbulent path to a short-term place of peace. A comfortable, warm, and safe spot may seem like a mirage for a while. The bed becomes a material representation of an utopian place.

Exhibition opening:
When: 27/06/2023 (Tuesday) at 7:00 p.m.
Where: Galeria Labirynt 2, ul. Grodzka 3, Lublin
Accessibility: The exhibition is held in a space not accessible for people with motor impairments.
No English interpretation.
Exhibition on display: until 23/07/2023 (Tuesday–Sunday, 3:00–7:00 p.m.)
Admission: free

During one of our first conversations with Glam, we spoke about the role social media played after February 24, 2022, in the efforts to support Ukrainian people seeking asylum. Everyday civilians were behind the profiles offering “a roof over your head” or a “bed to sleep on”. We paid close attention to the language used by those offering this kind of support. Being Ukrainian became a “token” that could be exchanged for a place to sleep. We described this as a type of transaction and asked ourselves if referring to a person as a “bed”, or offering support by only stating the number of beds you have available dehumanise a person.

* The word “russian” is deliberately written in lower case, expressing the political decision of the authors of the text.

Glam Gargoyle / Maria Strelchuk – a multidisciplinary artist and fem-queer person from the city of Berdyansk in Ukraine. She works with themes of utopia to subjugate the everyday. She draws inspiration mainly from young radicals, social activists and those involved in rave culture.

The exhibition offers a glimpse into the everyday life of transgender people and their individual yet unifying experience of gender identity. It takes up the idea of unfettered freedom and aims to deconstruct the heteronormative system. It also questions traditional cultural roles, which include behaviour, gestures and emotional expression. It is also a manifesto of our existence. In realising it, we wanted to and have emphasised the participation of social minorities in the co-creation of history. We also want to change the way transgender individuals see themselves and make them feel proud of who they are. – Ariel

Exhibition opening:
When: 30/06/2023 (Friday), 6:00 p.m.
Where: Azyl Library (former Galeria Labirynt | Plaza), ul. Lipowa 13, Lublin (entrance from ul. Ofiar Katynia)
Accessibility: The exhibition is held on the ground floor in a space free from architectural barriers. One of the films in the exhibition may be unfriendly to people with sensory hypersensitivity. There is a heavily flashing light in the work. Exhibition opening interpreted into Ukrainian, interpreter: Volodymyr Dyshlevuk. No English interpretation.
On display: until 23/09/2023 (Tue–Sat: 1:00–6.00 p.m.)
Admission: free

Artists: Adi / Adrian Wasilewski, Anastas Krusińska, Ariel Michalak, Daniel Kajda, Fokus, Iskra, Karolina Zorya Jazgarska, Val Ziółkowski, Luka Vivi Starr Alice, Niko Leon Szymura, Sasha, Simona Kasprowicz, Wincent

Curator:
Ariel Michalak

Creating the exhibition was a process. During the regular meetings, each person in the group was able to express themselves. This was facilitated by the rules adopted in the group based on dialogue and lack of censorship. The reflections of the individuals are a manifesto and a commentary on the works presented at the exhibition. The people you meet are at different stages – both of gender correction and of their own knowledge of legal and social procedures. Through this fluidity between experiences, we get to know different perspectives based on age, family and social acceptance, material or health situation. The exhibition features the work of young people, between the ages of 14 and 28, living in Lublin. Despite the fact that each of them has heard from society the words “Don’t make it up, you’ll get over it anyway”, they all know perfectly well who they are and what they feel. – Filip