LGBTQ+ Rosa Kwir’s groundbreaking exhibition

News / Exhibtion / Rosa Kwir

October - December 2022

MALTA

TENDER AND MASCULINE: INTERNATIONAL GROUP SHOW

Photos by Niels Plotard

Tender and Masculine is Rosa Kwir’s first group show, exclusively showcasing the work of LGBTQI+ artists. The show opens on 7th October 2022 at 7pm, with a special performance starting at 9pm. It runs until 9th January 2023 at 38 Main Street, Balzan.

The exhibition unpacks the often complex debates on masculinities but does so from a queer standpoint. By pairing the word masculine with an adjective like tender, the provocation establishes a more nuanced and gentler approach to discussing masculinity.

Rosa Kwir opened its doors in 2021, becoming the first queer-focused project space on the island. Situated in Balzan, it was established by Maltese and London-based artist Romeo Roxman Gatt and co-founded by artist and filmmaker Charlie Cauchi.

Replete with its own physical and digital archive, Rosa Kwir has also hosted various events over the year, including film screenings, workshops and live performances. Tender and Masculine is the culmination of a year-long programme supported by Arts Council Malta and the Melita Cable Foundation.

The Rosa Kwir archive was the first step to creating dialogue around alternative notions of masculinity. However, we decided to open up this discussion by curating a show that invites diverse artists from different disciplines, backgrounds and places to engage with masculinity from their own perspectives.

“We invited artists to submit their work in early 2022 via an open call. The aim was to make the process as open and accessible as possible, allowing us to accommodate a broad spectrum of disciplines and approaches, “ explain Rome oand Charlie. They were overwhelmed by the number of applications and the high standard of work submitted. They found it to be a difficullt taks to choose, “but after much deliberation, we selected 13 artists/ art collectives that we believe truly explore the provocation put forward in exciting and challenging ways.”

Masculinity is a construct that sits in opposition and is often seen as superior to femininity. This exhibition breaks down the culturally idealised definition of masculinity and demonstrates that numerous masculinities can exist in our culture.