New, girl-and-queer creative space in Lublin

GRRRLZ GET LOUD is a Lublin social-artistic project. At its core are Weronka, Asia, Marta and Szymon (Simona Kozi Drag). Together, they organize artistic events for women and nonbinary persons – artists, writers, activists and culture animators. GGL was created to overcome limits set for creators and organizers on the independent scene. “In the masculinized music environment, the female potential is routinely overlooked, and their activity is considered controversial, infantilized, or ridiculed”, say the idea’s authors. They create their own space, where voices and forms of expression that tend to be marginalized by the so-called mainstream, are heard. Until now, GGL has organized concerts of, among others, Siksa, Hanako and Moira, author meetings with Alex Freiheit and Agatą Wnuk and a screening of the film “Stabat Mater Dolorosa”. For a few months GGL has also acted as DJ collective!

“We will not let our city be appropriated by homophobic and transphobic narrative”

Now, the girls would like to organize a special edition of the cycle, called Queerz Get Loud – an interdisciplinary microfestival, presenting artistic phenomena of the Polish queer culture. An important anchor point for the festival will be the context of the city of Lublin – both the forgotten and erased persons related to the city, and the present political atmosphere, filled with nationalism and queerphobia. “Despite the unfriendly political discourse, we will not let Lublin be appropriated by homophobic and transphobic narrative. thanks to QGL, we want to show that our city can still be a space for exchanging thoughts and views and for presenting art and activities from outside the mainstream”, says the group.

The minigrant from FemFund will be used to organize an online festival, within which Polish queer culture phenomena will be presented. The collective is planning, among others, a film screening, a DJ set, and showings of performances by queer artists. In cooperation with the Camera Femina Foundation there will also be a special episode of “Podcast, który włącza” (The Inclusive Podcast), dedicated to the Polish queer culture and the LGBTQ+ minority in Poland.

Grant amount: PLN 4,400

Image credit: Emilia Oksentowicz/ .kolektyw