"Commemoration of all Queer victims of the Holocaust" by Viktoria Mladenovski;

The Rainbow Center, a safe space and a centre for queer culture in Luxembourg, has announced that it is launching its first "Pride Art Expo" on Thursday 29 June 2023 at 18:00.

This new exhibition, called "Illustrating Queer Joy. Embracing Struggle", features three Luxembourgish illustrators - Lynn Kelders, Viktoria Mladenovski and Charlotte Muniken (also known as "Hikikomorichi") - who identify as "queer", a term often used to encompass a range of non-heterosexual orientations and gender identities.

The Rainbow Center noted that traditionally, "queer" has been used as a derogatory term to stigmatise and marginalise individuals who do not conform to societal norms of gender and sexuality, but a growing number of lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender people use it as a positive and inclusive designation.

Lynn Kelders, Viktoria Mladenovski and Charlotte Muniken have been nourished since their early childhood by the visual world of comic books, Manga and cartoons, among other artistic forms. They have harnessed the power of drawing to examine their own sexual orientation, identity and gender and to question the unrelenting and pervasive heteronormative values.

Through some 30 prints, they challenge gender-based common assumptions. "People who break away from the gender binary are often pushed by society into a clearly defined form of androgyny," argued Lynn Kelders as they grapple with their own gender identity and self-expression.

The illustrations on display at this exhibition aim to captivate the visitor and trigger basic questions regarding sexuality, identity and gender. They highlight the struggles and joys of the entire LGBTIQ+ community in a context where progress on gender is lagging behind, noted the Rainbow Center.

This exhibition, curated by the Rainbow Center, will run from 29 June to 1 August 2023. It forms part of Pride celebrations in Luxembourg (typically held in July).

Other upcoming events at the Rainbow Center (located at 19 Rue St Esprit, 1475 Luxembourg) include:

- the release of the poetry collection Sangs, in the presence of the author, Luce van den Bossche, on Friday 30 June 2023 from 19:00 to 21:00;

- a workshop day with the "Méi wéi Sex" podcast on Saturday 1 July 2023, starting at 11:00;

- a panel discussion (in Luxembourgish) on "How queer can you be in Luxembourg?" on Thursday 6 July 2023 from 18:00 to 20:00.