Queer Art as a Form of Resistance

Cologne Pride is every year a festival of diversity: people celebrate, protest, dance, and show that queer life is a normal part of our society. Yet between rainbow flags, parties, and political demands, this year another question also arises: What does queer life feel like right now?

With their cultural show “WeArtHere! — Queer Resistance” Oyindamola Alashe and Gianni Jovanovic aren’t aiming to provide ready-made answers. Instead, they’re creating on Saturday, July 4, at the Comedia Theater Köln a space where people come together on stage, share meals, laugh, discuss, and experience art.

The special thing about “WeArtHere!” is the format: the artists sit together on stage. Between music, comedy, spoken word, and dance, conversations about life, about experiences, and about what unites people unfold. The audience isn’t merely spectators but part of an empowering evening.

Art as a Form of Resistance

Naming this year’s CSD special “Queer Resistance” is no accident. “Many queer people feel that the societal mood has shifted,” says Oyindamola Alashe. “For years we’ve been seeing the tone grow harsher and queerphobic violence rise. People are suddenly debating again whether certain lived realities should be visible at all. That affects you.”

Gianni Jovanovic also observes this development with concern. “Many people go about their days more carefully. Some think twice about holding hands through the city or trusting someone on dating apps. We keep hearing about gay men who are lured into traps and assaulted — sometimes even in their own apartments. At the same time, the numbers of queerphobic crimes are on the rise.”

For Alashe and Jovanovic, this isn’t a reason to retreat but a reason to be more visible. “Queer Joy means celebrating, but it also means having serious conversations and continually supporting and encouraging one another,” says Jovanovic. For years, “WeArtHere!” has deliberately invited people onto the stage whose perspectives are often overlooked even within the queer community — Black queers, Romani queer women, trans people, or people with disabilities.

Oyindamola Alashe and Gianni Jovanovic see a clear link between this development and the political climate of recent years. The conservative shift in society, a increasingly polarized debate culture, and ideas about how people should live have tangible effects in everyday life. Especially trans people, people with disabilities, and queer people who experience racism are coming under more pressure.

“We’re bringing these people onto the stage,” says Alashe. “We want to speak with them, not about them. That’s for us the best way to counter exclusion.”

Nevertheless, “Queer Resistance” isn’t meant to be an evening of heaviness. “Resistance, to me, doesn’t mean being angry all day,” says Jovanovic with a smile. “Resistance sometimes also means sitting with friends at a table, laughing loudly, and taking up the space that others would deny you.”

Not a Heavy Evening

That’s precisely why “WeArtHere!” deliberately favors art over panel discussions. “Music, comedy, or dance often reach people more directly than political speeches,” says Alashe. “Art creates closeness. It moves people without offering easy answers.”

Joining them are author and moderator Maria Popov, activist and drag artist Mieze McCripple, musician Fayim, singer Cale Kalay, comedian Tobias Born, dancer Eray Gülay, and trans activist Berfin, known as KurdischeKween, with a spoken word segment. Together they share their experiences, celebrate their art, and demonstrate how diverse queer life can be.

In the end, it’s about much more than a single evening during Pride weekend. “We hope people leave thinking: I’m not alone,” says Alashe. And Jovanovic adds: “For me, queer resistance means one thing above all: standing up for each other, especially when the world outside grows more hostile.” (dd/pm)