We’ve long wanted to dedicate our “The gaze of…” to the countries of the SWANA region (South West Asia and North Africa), and when we decided to do so last summer, we were far from imagining what much of this part of the world looks like today. War is redrawing the power dynamics there while leaving millions of civilians in a state of extreme vulnerability, among whom, perhaps more unprotected than ever, are the LGBTQ+ communities. It’s a particularly dramatic moment, and no less important for that, to reaffirm the strength of their creativity in continuing to exist and remain as visible as possible on the path to social acceptance.
A very special thank you to Amar Sokhen, Lebanese curator and cultural programmer based in Barcelona, for her valuable contribution to the design of this program.
