Museumgasten: Haus of fibre finissage X Studio Paul & Haiko

On Sunday 15 March, the final edition of Museumgasten will take place, centred around Haus of fibre. This edition is organised in collaboration with Studio Paul & Haiko – an artist duo from Eindhoven whose practice focuses on repair and queering of both personal and collective history. It is no coincidence that this edition of Museumgasten falls within Queer History Month. Together with various guests, Studio Paul & Haiko will reflect on the overlapping themes of the exhibition Haus of fibre and Queer History Month during Museumgasten.

Sunday 15 March is also the last day on which you can visit the exhibition Haus of fibre, so don’t miss this special afternoon of in-depth engagement with the exhibition!

Programme

14:30 – 14:40
Introduction by curator Adelheid Smit and moderator Júlia Fassy-Steenbakker

14:40 – 15:10
Lecture by historian and writer Alex Bakker

15:10 – 15:20
Time for questions

15:20 – 15:45
Lecture by Studio Paul & Haiko

15:45 – 16:10
Questions and informal discussion over a drink

16:10 – 16:30
Guided tour of the exhibition Haus of fibre with curator Adelheid Smit, focusing on curating queer history

What / who can you expect?

The format of Museumgasten is slightly different from what you may be used to. Various speakers have been invited to share their artistic practice and its relationship to repairing or re-examining queer history through thought-provoking lectures and spoken word. The common thread connecting all speakers is their shared love of (historical) queer literature.

The first guest is Alex Bakker (he/him). Bakker is a historian, academic and writer. As a historian, he studies life histories: how people’s personal stories shape history, as seen in his current research into transgender pioneers in Berlin a hundred years ago. In 2014, he wrote the autobiographical book My False Past, about a man born as a girl. In it, he explores the painful truth of the past and his contradictory desire, as a historian, to falsify his own history.

Photo Alex Bakker – photographer Marc Driessen

Studio Paul & Haiko will also take part as co-organisers and participating artists from the exhibition. In their work, they create space for queer desires from their youth that were not allowed to exist at the time. They weave their artistic practice together with their background in gender and art theory to make forgotten or ignored desires visible and, ultimately, fulfilled. For Museumgasten, they present a performative lecture in which history, art, deepfakes and their own manipulated archival material converge. In doing so, they open up a queer perspective on both personal and collective history. Central to their lecture is the idea that history is not static, but can be actively used to dismantle fixed ideas.

Photo Studio Paul & Haiko – photographer Sebastiaan Rodenhuis

The afternoon will be moderated by Júlia Fassy-Steenbakker (she/her). In Tilburg, she founded the book club Pride & Paperbacks, where young people with a passion for reading come together to discuss books featuring LGBTQI+ themes or characters, as well as their own queer experiences. She also hosts Pride & Paperbacks Talkshows, for which she has interviewed, among others, several actors from the series Anne+.

Foto Júlia Fassy-Steenbakker - fotograaf: Heleen van Outheusden 

Visiting the exhibition

After the lectures, you are invited to visit the exhibition Haus of fibre. Curator Adelheid Smit (she/they) will explain on site how she used various methods to approach queer history while creating the exhibition. Of course, you are also welcome to explore the exhibition independently.

Photo Adelheid Smit – Patty van den Elshout

Reading table

During Museumgasten, a reading table will be available featuring a wide selection of (historical) queer literature. You will find a curated selection of queer (history) books chosen by all speakers. This is also an opportunity to engage in conversation with moderator Júlia Fassy-Steenbakker, organiser of the Pride & Paperbacks book club in Tilburg.

Practical information and a tip!

When: Sunday 15 March, 14:30 – 16:30
Where: The foyer on the museum’s 2nd floor (lift available)
For whom: This event is open to everyone; no prior knowledge is required
Tickets: €10 (incl. coffee/tea and a drink afterwards, excl. museum admission)
Language: Dutch

Would you like to attend the event but find the ticket price difficult to afford?
No worries! We believe it’s important that as many people as possible can take part. Please email [email protected], and we’ll be happy to look for a solution together.