Digital exhibition
Queer as German Folk goes digital
The Goethe-Institut USA is launching a digitally modified version of the exhibition Queer as German Folk – a global initiative meant to outline the current state of discourse on queer emancipation. The exhibition is accessible on queerexhibition.org starting August 9th, 2020.
Queer as German Folk was originally launched in 2019 as an “exhibition on-demand” coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots. The project puts a spotlight on the transatlantic dialogue between civil society LGBTIQ+ actors, discussing the adjusting historical perspectives, and questioning the dominance of the traditional cis-male narrative. It focuses on the close and vital interactions between the German and U.S. movements, while also taking criticisms into account about the perceived illegitimate appropriation of this pivotal moment of queer history by a white, gay, middle-class mainstream.
This extensive exhibition has now been converted into a compact, digital experience. This new format allows visitors to experience the queer movement past and present from anywhere in the world – furthering the project’s goals of maximum accessibility. Audiovisual, moving, and interactive forms of presentation provide visitors with an exciting, adjustable, and versatile experience that is simple to navigate and is accessible across a range of devices in both English and German.
The exhibition’s launch will be accompanied by a full program of virtual events organized by various Goethe-Institut locations in the U.S. and the Goethe Pop Ups which will feature additional work and perspectives from LGBTIQ+ artists. The program will kick off on August 7th, 2020 with a digital film series coordinated by various regional partners that will be available to stream online. These screenings will be accompanied by Q&As with the films’ directors and conversations with the audience.
Queer As German Folk was developed in coordination with the Schwules Museum Berlin (SMU), led by Birgit Bosold from the curatorial team of the Homosexualität_en exhibition and the management team of the Schwules Museum Berlin (SMU) as the curatorial director and Carina Klugbauer, also from the SMU, serving as the co-curator.
Birgit Bosold has been a board member at Schwules Museum Berlin since 2006. As such, she is responsible for the museum’s finances and played a central role in its strategic realignment.
She was project manager and co-curator of the exhibition Homosexualität_en, which was initiated by Schwules Museum in collaboration with the German Historical Museum in Berlin. In 2015, with substantive support from the Federal and State Cultural Foundations, the exhibition was presented in both museums; in 2016, it was taken over by the LWL Museum für Kunst und Kultur in Münster, which is owned by the Regional Authority of Westfalen-Lippe (LWL).
Together with Vera Hofmann, in 2018 Birgit Bosold was project manager for “Jahr der Frau_en,” a yearlong queer feminist program of Schwules Museum, sponsored by the Berlin Senate’s Department of Cultural and European Affairs. As part of this program, together with Carina Klugbauer, she curated the survey exhibition Lesbisches Sehen with over 30 works by queer artists from the 20th century.
Birgit Bosold made a career in private banking. After obtaining a PhD in literature, she worked many years for various renowned banks. Today she works as a freelance portfolio management consultant for companies, foundations, and private clients, and as a writer and lecturer.
Carina Klugbauer is a research associate at the Schwules Museum, Berlin. She currently works in the field of exhibition management and as a project manager for the art exhibition Intimacy – New Queer Art from Berlin & Beyond, which opens in late 2020. In 2018, Carina Klugbauer curated the queer art exhibition Lesbisches Sehen with Birgit Bosold, and in 2017, while a trainee, she co-curated the traveling exhibition Unverschämt. She has also coordinated the museum’s educational activities and designed youth workshops on the history of the LGBTIQ+ movement and on sexual and gender diversity.
Find more details about the project’s history and future here: www.goethe.de/usa/queer