Queer Culture in Eastern Partnership Countries and in Exile
Cultural project competition for queer individuals who had to flee due to war, repression, and persecution
16 projects on queer refugee experiences
Literature, music, film, animation, dance, photography, theatre, performance
Within the framework of the project “Queer Culture in the Eastern Partnership countries and in exile,” Quarteera e. V. brought together experienced queer authors in 2024 who were forced to flee war, repression, and persecution. Each artist received financial support ranging from €1,000 to €5,000.
A total of 16 new projects were created and presented in Germany, Georgia, Armenia, and Poland. The works span a wide range of artistic fields, including literature, music, film, animation, dance, photography, theatre, and performance.
The project is implemented by Quarteera e.V., with financial support from the German Federal Foreign Office through the programme “Expanding Cooperation with Civil Society in the Eastern Partnership Countries and Russia”.
Our finalists
“Nameless”
DVIZH, international jewelry collective
A multidisciplinary project combining documentary photography, personal testimonies, and conceptual jewelry. DVIZH collected 14 stories of Russian-speaking queer couples. In half of them, partners who remain together speak about their relationships and their wedding rings.
The other half presents couples whose relationships ended for various reasons, including socio-political ones. Their stories are accompanied by wedding rings created by the DVIZH artists, imagining what a happy ending might have looked like — one that never happened.
“Nameless”
DVIZH, international jewelry collective
A multidisciplinary project combining documentary photography, personal testimonies, and conceptual jewelry. DVIZH collected 14 stories of Russian-speaking queer couples. In half of them, partners who remain together speak about their relationships and their wedding rings.
The other half presents couples whose relationships ended for various reasons, including socio-political ones. Their stories are accompanied by wedding rings created by the DVIZH artists, imagining what a happy ending might have looked like — one that never happened.
“Dreamers”
Sergey Stroitelev, photographed in Germany
This project is dedicated to queer couples and families who left Russia after the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, fleeing inhumane laws and social homophobia.
Through exhibitions held in several German cities, visitors encountered portraits and stories of couples who now live in Germany. The project also includes archival photographs from their previous lives and diary entries, offering insight into the emotional states of the protagonists and the worlds they left behind.
“Dreamers”
Sergey Stroitelev, photographed in Germany
This project is dedicated to queer couples and families who left Russia after the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, fleeing inhumane laws and social homophobia.
Through exhibitions held in several German cities, visitors encountered portraits and stories of couples who now live in Germany. The project also includes archival photographs from their previous lives and diary entries, offering insight into the emotional states of the protagonists and the worlds they left behind.
“A House by the Cemetery”
Alexey Sergeev, written in Georgia
“I wrote my first note on relocation, ‘Ninety Minutes in the Closet,’ at the airport gate. Afterwards, I spent eight months living in the ‘Antizona’ shelter in Georgia for those for whom it had become unsafe to remain in Russia. It is a house in Tbilisi near a cemetery, rented collectively. Among its residents, alongside anti-war and civic activists, there are many LGBT people.
The shelter hosts vulnerable individuals whose income covers little more than a bed. They share small rooms, three or sometimes four people at a time. Apart from the showers, there are no private spaces — you live in full view of everyone else, as if in a reality show. People argue about unwashed dishes, debate politics, fall in love and break up, long for home, and fear for their future.”
“A House by the Cemetery”
Alexey Sergeev, written in Georgia
“I wrote my first note on relocation, ‘Ninety Minutes in the Closet,’ at the airport gate. Afterwards, I spent eight months living in the ‘Antizona’ shelter in Georgia for those for whom it had become unsafe to remain in Russia. It is a house in Tbilisi near a cemetery, rented collectively. Among its residents, alongside anti-war and civic activists, there are many LGBT people.
The shelter hosts vulnerable individuals whose income covers little more than a bed. They share small rooms, three or sometimes four people at a time. Apart from the showers, there are no private spaces — you live in full view of everyone else, as if in a reality show. People argue about unwashed dishes, debate politics, fall in love and break up, long for home, and fear for their future.”
“Queer Migration Zine”
literary-activist project by a duo of authors who relocated from Russia to Germany
This zine brings together nine texts selected through an open call, in which the authors reflect on queer migration and queer refugeehood. They invite readers into solidarity, shared experience, and dialogue, while demonstrating how different queer migration stories can be — and how they are shaped by gender, ethnicity, class, mental health, and other socio-political factors.
“Queer Migration Zine”
literary-activist project by a duo of authors who relocated from Russia to Germany
This zine brings together nine texts selected through an open call, in which the authors reflect on queer migration and queer refugeehood. They invite readers into solidarity, shared experience, and dialogue, while demonstrating how different queer migration stories can be — and how they are shaped by gender, ethnicity, class, mental health, and other socio-political factors.
“Borderlands”
poetic autofiction audio essay by an anonymous artist living in Georgia
A musical and poetic work exploring parallels between migration and trans*transition — a process with neither a clear beginning nor an end.
“Transition means living permanently on the edge, in search of stability while certainty remains out of reach. The migration experience is also marked by alienation and a similar struggle with the system. It is a search for home and for acceptance.”
“Borderlands”
poetic autofiction audio essay by an anonymous artist living in Georgia
A musical and poetic work exploring parallels between migration and trans*transition — a process with neither a clear beginning nor an end.
“Transition means living permanently on the edge, in search of stability while certainty remains out of reach. The migration experience is also marked by alienation and a similar struggle with the system. It is a search for home and for acceptance.”
“The Price of Freedom”
documentary short, filmed in Georgia by a Ukrainian–Georgian team
A documentary short about five Ukrainian LGBTQ+ refugees who left the country after the outbreak of war.
The film gathers their feelings, reflections, and struggles — the realities faced by men who fled Ukraine once the war began. How does war reshape a person’s psyche? In what fear do LGBTQ+ people in Ukraine live, especially those who do not want to fight yet cannot legally leave? What extreme steps must they take to cross borders, and what price have they paid for their freedom?
“The Price of Freedom”
documentary short, filmed in Georgia by a Ukrainian–Georgian team
A documentary short about five Ukrainian LGBTQ+ refugees who left the country after the outbreak of war.
The film gathers their feelings, reflections, and struggles — the realities faced by men who fled Ukraine once the war began. How does war reshape a person’s psyche? In what fear do LGBTQ+ people in Ukraine live, especially those who do not want to fight yet cannot legally leave? What extreme steps must they take to cross borders, and what price have they paid for their freedom?
“Moving Together”
animated interviews with queer people in exile, created in Georgia by artists from Ukraine and Russia
Seven animated films produced in different artistic techniques, based on interviews with Russian-speaking queer people about their experiences of living in exile. The soundtrack features original audio excerpts from the conversations.
“Moving Together”
animated interviews with queer people in exile, created in Georgia by artists from Ukraine and Russia
Seven animated films produced in different artistic techniques, based on interviews with Russian-speaking queer people about their experiences of living in exile. The soundtrack features original audio excerpts from the conversations.
“I Have to Run”
Oleg Khristolyubsky, filmed in Germany
The story of a 32-year-old queer film director who flees repressive laws and war for Berlin, leaving his boyfriend behind in Russia. The two struggle to maintain their relationship at a distance, while life in Berlin turns out to be far less “rainbow-colored” than expected.
“I Have to Run”
Oleg Khristolyubsky, filmed in Germany
The story of a 32-year-old queer film director who flees repressive laws and war for Berlin, leaving his boyfriend behind in Russia. The two struggle to maintain their relationship at a distance, while life in Berlin turns out to be far less “rainbow-colored” than expected.
“Then and Now”
documentary animation
A documentary animation built around the author’s family relocation from Russia to Germany. This story unfolds in parallel with the histories of LGBTQ migrants who, in the mid-20th century, also fled totalitarian regimes in search of safety.
“Then and Now”
documentary animation
A documentary animation built around the author’s family relocation from Russia to Germany. This story unfolds in parallel with the histories of LGBTQ migrants who, in the mid-20th century, also fled totalitarian regimes in search of safety.
“Tunnel”
Danagrave Love, filmed in Armenia
A protest hip-hop music video. The tunnel becomes a metaphor for migration, for trans*transition, and for a passage that can last an entire lifetime.
“Tunnel”
Danagrave Love, filmed in Armenia
A protest hip-hop music video. The tunnel becomes a metaphor for migration, for trans*transition, and for a passage that can last an entire lifetime.
“My Grandfather, A Ladybug”
trailer for a documentary animation by Maksim Avdeev
An animated work about three dreams during the first months of exile. In each of them, the protagonist is visited by his grandfather, who seems to magically foreshadow the most important events of his life.
“My Grandfather, A Ladybug”
trailer for a documentary animation by Maksim Avdeev
An animated work about three dreams during the first months of exile. In each of them, the protagonist is visited by his grandfather, who seems to magically foreshadow the most important events of his life.
“I Dance”
Vika Biran
Set across Belarus, Ukraine, Lithuania, and Germany, the book follows a protagonist whose life is shaped by socio-political upheavals. She is forced to make choices: whether or not to join street protests, whether or not to relocate to another country, whether or not to begin new romantic relationships.
Throughout the story, she confronts a range of systems — visa regimes, taxation, binary structures, and national borders — each of which defines and limits her possibilities in different ways.
“I Dance”
Vika Biran
Set across Belarus, Ukraine, Lithuania, and Germany, the book follows a protagonist whose life is shaped by socio-political upheavals. She is forced to make choices: whether or not to join street protests, whether or not to relocate to another country, whether or not to begin new romantic relationships.
Throughout the story, she confronts a range of systems — visa regimes, taxation, binary structures, and national borders — each of which defines and limits her possibilities in different ways.
“Take Care, or Love in Times of Catastrophe”
dance performance
A duet by two queer dancers who use movement to articulate love, care, support, and solidarity. The urgency of this gesture is heightened by catastrophe and war — times in which human bodies and emotions are often devalued or rendered invisible.
“Take Care, or Love in Times of Catastrophe”
dance performance
A duet by two queer dancers who use movement to articulate love, care, support, and solidarity. The urgency of this gesture is heightened by catastrophe and war — times in which human bodies and emotions are often devalued or rendered invisible.
“One-Two-Queer-Break”
Maria Sapizhak
A documentary performance based on interviews with queer couples (or one of the partners) who left countries with homophobic regimes — Russia or Belarus — together, only to separate or find themselves on the verge of separation in a new place.
The work explores how war, migration, and the total transformation of one’s environment can come between two people who once seemed to stand on the same side of the barricades.
“One-Two-Queer-Break”
Maria Sapizhak
A documentary performance based on interviews with queer couples (or one of the partners) who left countries with homophobic regimes — Russia or Belarus — together, only to separate or find themselves on the verge of separation in a new place.
The work explores how war, migration, and the total transformation of one’s environment can come between two people who once seemed to stand on the same side of the barricades.
“Will You Marry Me?”
Igor Shugaleev, Belarusian actor and performer
A drag stand-up performance built around the question: “Please, will you marry me?” — addressed to citizens of EU countries. Conceptually, the performance continues until an actual marriage is registered.
The project highlights the brutality, absurdity, and tragedy of the realities migrants face in the process of legalization.
“The idea emerged from a common joke among my friends and me: exhausted and disillusioned by the search for ways to legalize our stay in the EU, we often say it might be ‘easier’ to enter a sham marriage just to obtain the long-awaited documents.”
“Will You Marry Me?”
Igor Shugaleev, Belarusian actor and performer
A drag stand-up performance built around the question: “Please, will you marry me?” — addressed to citizens of EU countries. Conceptually, the performance continues until an actual marriage is registered.
The project highlights the brutality, absurdity, and tragedy of the realities migrants face in the process of legalization.
“The idea emerged from a common joke among my friends and me: exhausted and disillusioned by the search for ways to legalize our stay in the EU, we often say it might be ‘easier’ to enter a sham marriage just to obtain the long-awaited documents.”
“Very”
art-pop project by Nastya Anisimova and the band Vyrd, recorded in Georgia
The album VERY features six tracks created in collaboration with various music producers. Its central theme is loneliness.
The album is available on major streaming platforms, including Spotify, iTunes, YouTube Music, and Amazon Music.
“Very”
art-pop project by Nastya Anisimova and the band Vyrd, recorded in Georgia
The album VERY features six tracks created in collaboration with various music producers. Its central theme is loneliness.
The album is available on major streaming platforms, including Spotify, iTunes, YouTube Music, and Amazon Music.
Project goals
In recent years, many queer cultural practitioners from Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine have been forced to leave their homes. War, repression, and discrimination pushed them to seek safety elsewhere, where they encountered new challenges as well as new possibilities.
The goals of the project are to preserve alternative culture and to foster cultural exchange and mutual understanding between queer refugees and the receiving societies.
Through this grant, we aimed to support artists who address queer refugee experiences in their work in order to:
- Demonstrate the variety of queer refugees’ life paths and cultures.
- Highlight the experiences of queer artists working in exile.
- Support queer artists and amplify their voices.
Open call
In July 2024, an open call was launched. We received 150 applications and, with the support of a professional jury, selected 16 finalists.
If you have any questions, please contact us via queerekultur@quarteera.de
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