The word queer is translated into Russian as “strange” or “out of the ordinary”.

Nowadays this concept can be interpreted as “existence out of gender stereotypes” in the most
extended sense.

All of us in one or another way face stereotyped and corrupted perception of our personality by colleagues, friends and close ones. People rarely meet somebody else’s expectations: each of us has their own long story of searching for their unique identity.

Times change which means that society is changing too. We don’t live in a strict contrasting of masculine and feminine “origins” for a long time already. Regardless of biological gender people in our world have possibilities to create music and art, participate in upbringing children, and invent political or social initiatives.

But discrimination is still very real. It exists in different areas of our live, but to a greater extent affects gender minorities and LGBT. Lack of understanding, and information, and fear turn into broken relationships, estrangement, bulling, and sometimes even real ate crimes. This should be spoken and written about in any language, including the language of music, installation, documentary photography.

Queer-discourse, LGBT-discourse are an essential part of art process in Western countries, but as well as the majority of crucial problems of Russian reality still stay invisible for our museums and galleries. This year we ask ourselves: why does it happen so? What can change this situation? How should a culture where there is a place for every social group look like?

Queer is an anti-stigma and absence of labels. The world we’re living in is reach and beautiful with diversity of cultures, identities, sexualities and self-expressions. We all are different, but we’re united by the language of art and common values – love, tolerance and mutual respect.

In the framework of the festival we’ll represent the greater part of palette of queer-culture representatives’ creative search. You can get to know different areas: photography, stage performance, fashion industry, rock music. Every part, either concert, or exhibition, or a discussion is created as a possibility to spread out the main messages of the festival: tolerance, gender diversity, possibility of self-expression and work in art space, return to the routes of your own personality. All these themes we unite in a motto “The art of being yourself”, because talent, independent vision, ability to directly claim your rights – all of these are direct consequences of our inner freedom and determination to act.

Queer-art is not only the art of openness and acceptance, but also a questioning art, making us think and have a look at our usual reality from a new angle. We can be thoughtful and indifferent, bright or tired, calm or protesting, invisible and unnoticed. We are different but society marks us with a unified label. And that is why today we speak about our right for identity, our right to think and feel differently.

Mission of the festival is to make queer-community visible.

Visit QueerFest. Think about gender inequality. Speak out against discrimination, violence and hatred towards those who didn’t choose their identity.