PRESS RELEASE

Queer - Desire, Power and Identity

The Nationalmuseum in Stockholm opens an exhibition titled Queer – Desire, Power and Identity on 24th of June. It explores how notions of sex, gender, masculinity, femininity, erotic and sexual desire have influenced the creation and interpretation of artworks. It also demonstrates how earlier visual art can be employed to reflect contemporary views and highlight topical issues. The 30 artworks in the exhibition are selected from the Nationalmuseum collections.

Historical portraits demonstrate that masculinity and femininity have been expressed in many different ways throughout history. Conventions and norms of how men and women should behave and look have changed through the centuries. Today commercial interests are flirting with the gay culture. What does that mean?

Queer – Desire, Power and Identity illustrates the manner in which art and images have been employed in order to question and undermine a heterosexual norm, providing us with tools to understand why certain motifs have become icons. It also sheds light on what has been included and excluded from the history of art.

Exhibition curator: Veronica Hejdelind, Phone: +46 (0)8-5195 43 93, e-mail: vhd@nationalmuseum.se
Patrik Steorn, tel: 0709 -79 74 54, e-post: patrik@fashion.su.se