Exhibition Reveals Queer Art and Community in East Germany's DDR
An exhibition explores queer art in the German Democratic Republic, highlighting the diversity of East German art and serving as a significant statement amid rising homophobia. The show references the 2019 documentary 'Im Stillen Laut' about artist Erika Stürmer-Alex and the art farm she founded in 1982 in Lietzen, Brandenburg. Stürmer-Alex and her partner, together since 1971, are featured reading from Stasi files that describe visits by an informant in the 1980s. By then, the farm had become a dissident and queer living and working space for an artistic community engaged in performances, photo sessions, music, and celebrations. The files note connections to the Evangelical Church, and the artist Wolf Biermann also performed there. The exhibition makes visible the resilience against homophobic systems in the DDR.
Key facts
- The exhibition focuses on queer art in the German Democratic Republic (DDR).
- It highlights the diversity of East German art.
- The exhibition is presented as an important sign against growing homophobia.
- It references the 2019 documentary 'Im Stillen Laut' about artist Erika Stürmer-Alex.
- Erika Stürmer-Alex founded an art farm in Lietzen, Brandenburg in 1982.
- Stürmer-Alex and her partner have been together since 1971.
- Stasi files from the 1980s describe the farm as a dissident and queer space.
- The artist Wolf Biermann performed at the farm.
Entities
Artists
- Erika Stürmer-Alex
- Wolf Biermann
Institutions
- Freitag
Locations
- DDR
- Lietzen
- Brandenburg
- Germany