“So, we are out of the closet, but into what? What new unbounded spatiality? The room, the den, the attic, the basement, the house, the bar, the university, some new enclosure whose door, like Kafka’s door, produces the expectation of fresh air and a light of illumination that never arrives?” 

 

- Judith Butler, "Imitation and Gender Insubordination," The Lesbian and Gay Studies Reader (Routledge, 1993), pp 309.

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In her own words, Judith Butler conceptualizes expressions of gender and sexuality as spaces: when queerness is discovered, it is entered, (leaving the cisheteronormative).  

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With the works of 10 talented artists, “Everything New Under the Sun,” investigates queerness as a space that is navigated and curated individually. We want to center the ambiguity of this space and the diversity of microcosms created within it to make sense of individual experiences. We twist the idea that everything repeats itself (“...there is nothing new under the sun”) to center the constant personal and global discoveries of the nuances of gender expression and sexuality.

 

In this exhibition, we also aim to host a critical examination of the importance of art in this investigation, as well as how it can foster a platform for collective creation and growth. In every way, this event is a celebration of the scaffoldings of queer world-making. 

 

By bringing together Leiden University and KABK, we hope to strengthen the queer creative community in and around The Hague. With a series of collateral events such as performances, workshops and a panel discussion, we want to bring together practice and theory to spark contemporary and relevant discussions on queerness in art and entertainment. We are thrilled to use the platform of The Grey Space in the Middle in order to celebrate queer creatives who are at the forefront of this reflection.

 

It was necessary for this exhibition to be curated and developed by our team of queer organizers, artists, panelists and performers. This is how we materialize visibility in an otherwise hostile industry: an exhibition imagined for queer people, by queer people. 

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We are very thankful to all who have given us their time and energy, thank you to our volunteers and all the creatives who have trusted us. You know who you are. 

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This exhibition is powered by The Jedi Fund and the Royal Academy of Art, Fine Arts Department.