Nipplepeople Opens the Second Edition of Kvirhana, the Queer Art Festival

The mysterious Croatian electro-pop duo Nipplepeople will perform on the first night of the LGBTIQ art festival Kvirhana on June 17 at the Skenderija Youth Centre in Sarajevo. This duo is known for their masks, without which they do not appear in public or give media interviews, and they gained regional popularity with the hit single Sutra as well as a cover of the song Frka by Zdenka Kovačiček.

Tamara Popović Tam, a young songwriter from Serbia, and Fantom, a music project by producer, author and musician Petar Wagner, will perform at the Youth Centre alongside Nipplepeople. DJ Pink Palindrome will entertain the audience before the show, while DJ Nadja Si will continue to perform throughout the night.

Prior to the concert, the festival will be officially opened at 7.30 p.m. at the Youth Theatre with the theatre play “Let’s Turn Off the Light” by the Bosnian National Theatre Zenica. The play is based on a play by Bosnian writer Lejla Kalamujić and tells the story of Selma and Mira, two older women who have been in a romantic relationship for nearly half of their lives. The director of the play is Lajla Kaikčija.

On Saturday, the festival moves to the Bosnian Cultural Centre, where a vogue dance workshop will begin at 11 a.m. Following that, there will be a screening of the film “Conversion – Silent Violence” and a discussion on religion and the LGBTIQ community called “Love Your Neighbours”. DJ Kazumi will perform in the evening program, followed by the drag show House of Flamingo, a Croatian queer art group.

The Bosnian Cultural Centre will also host the second part of the dance workshop, as well as the QUEER Tour – a visit of sites essential for activism and the LGBTIQ community in Sarajevo, followed by a tea party and talk about identities within the LGBTIQ community on the festival’s final day.

This is the second edition of the local Kvirhana festival organised by the Sarajevo Open Centre. For several years, SOC had organised the Sarajevo edition of the Belgrade LGBTIQ film festival Merlinka. The name Kvirhana is derived from the words kvir (queer), which is a comprehensive term for the LGBTIQ community, and han, which means tavern, shelter for travellers, or inn in BCS.

With the Kvirhana Festival, we hope to create a space where queer people will not only be themselves but also celebrate their identities. Although Kvirhana is primarily a safe and festive environment for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people, it is also a gathering place and haven for all those who support LGBTIQ people or question pre-established sex, gender and sexuality norms. Kvirhana is a place for people who value love, support, openness and authenticity in their relationships with others.

Since the festival’s purpose is to provide a safe space for LGBTIQ people, at least for a few days, the festival’s motto this year is “A Place for Us”, and the theme is LGBTIQ safety in art, family, public space and other spheres of life.

The festival will also be held in Tuzla on July 1st and 2nd.

Admission to all festival facilities is free.