In the first project of the second edition of “We Queer Lublin”, we would like to show you a perspective you have never seen before, namely Lublin’s queer through the lesbian’s eyes.

Exhibition opening:
When: 24/11/2023 (Friday), 6:00 p.m.
Where: Azyl Library in Galeria Labirynt, 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. No English interpretation of the opening.
Exhibition on display: until 31/12/2023 (Tue–Sat 1:00–6:00 p.m.)
Admission: free.

When journaling and note writing advised by a female psychologist had not been enough, miharin reached for something on hand in order to vent her thoughts and emotions. She started creating collage images, the chaotic and sometimes messy ones, that resembled what was going on in her head.

miharin (and paper) will accept everything: from gossip magazines from the newsagent’s at the grandma’s block of flats through old tattoo magazines, recovered “BRAVO” magazines, queer quarterlies (most often “Replika”), monthlies of medical chambers to drug packages and leaflets, forgotten sketches, battered books and many other different elements that can be glued with a glue stick to colourful cardboard. The more rubbish, the better! iharin appreciates the most the one that someone gave her. Alright, sometimes there will be colourful tapes here and there bought in a stationery shop because they are simply adorable. In miharin’s art Zero Waste is important – giving rubbish the second, artistic life and using the smallest amount of newly produced material possible.

„(I)mages” is a collection of thoughts and emotions that accompanied miharin over the past three years, she deals with experiencing her identity as a queer person and lesbian, romantic relationships between women as well as the ups and downs of mental health.

miharin (she/her) – born in 2000 in Lublin, a fan of women and femininity, especially the excessive one. She derives inspiration to create most often from the Moon, her own body and mind as well as artists she meets on her way. She likes wearing irregularly shaped pearls and thinks that sunrises are far more romantic than sunsets.

The “Queerujemy Lublin” project is funded by the European Cultural Foundation within “The Europe Challenge 2022–2023” programme.

Who are a*tists? Are they artists? Beings of great sensitivity that they hide deep inside? Or ordinary autistic girls? Do their (super)powers come from the stars? What kind of powers are they? On the one hand – creative, imaginative, and on the other – needed in everyday life. Some of their qualities seem quite remarkable, such as skyrocketing perseverance (useful for pursuing passions, often tedious and time-consuming), the ability to memorise a vast database of information, to create their own sign systems, and a limber mind.

Opening:
When: 01/12/2023 (Friday), 7:00 p.m.
Where: Galeria Labirynt, ul. ks. J. Popiełuszki 5, Lublin
Accessibility: Sensory-friendly exhibition. Mute earmuffs and a wheelchair can be borrowed free of charge from the bookshop. Quiet hours at the exhibition apply on Wednesdays from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Exhibition on the ground floor. The exhibition hall is accessed by a 13-degree sloping ramp and a 138 cm wide double door. The doors open outwards. Usually only the left wing of the door is open. The gallery has 6 portable induction loops. vernissage interpreted into Polish sign language, interpretation: Ewelina Lachowska. Opening interpreted into Ukrainian, interpretation: Volodymyr Dyshlevuk. Opening translated into English, interpretation: Krystian Kaminski.
Exhibition on display: until 18/02/2024. (Tue.–Sun, 12:00–7:00 p.m.)
Admission: free

In contrast, some of their behaviours – such as engaging with people, looking others in the eye, navigating emotions and unwritten rules – are seemingly nothing. But as for girls and women on the spectrum, they are often tricks developed over years, a camouflage by which they blend into the surrounding neurotypical world. And while it may seem to cost them nothing, fitting into the world requires unimaginable effort. So perhaps sometimes it is not worth it to make the world more diverse, and therefore more interesting.

The exhibition presents mostly new works, created for the present project. Some of them have been pulled out of drawers and home archives. All the works are accompanied by texts in which each of the participants of the exhibition reveals a little of the secret about what it is like to be an a*tist.

A*tists: Anna Bigos, Nina Bułtowicz, Paulina Garbiec, Kamilla Jabłońska, Dorota Mościbrodzka, Magdalena Szubielska
Curators: Agata Sztorc-Gromaszek, Magdalena Szubielska

Exhibition organised as part of the scholarship of the Mayor of the City of Lublin.