ALEKSANDRA LEMKE — ABOUT US

Aleksandra Lemke’s exhibition ‘About Us’ creates space to grow and expand. It shows the beauty and abundance of being a human. It shows human connections and our particularities. It shows intimacy, closeness and how we build bridges. It makes you want to be better and help create a healthier society.

This exhibition aims to empower QBIPOC people, promote their human rights and raise awareness among the general population of the diversity of the LGBTIQA+ community. In this exhibition, the Finnish models in the photographs claim space in society that also belongs to them.

According to studies, discrimination, racism, and hate reduce a person’s quality of life. To persons who belong to two or more minorities, discrimination is consuming and particularly harmful. Such multi-layered discrimination may be more common than we think, as it is often not recognised. A person who belongs to both the LGBTIQA+ minority and an ethnic or religious minority is therefore at high risk of multiple discrimination.

This exhibition promotes the importance of an intersectional approach to anti-racism and in work which promotes good relations between population groups. It challenges both ethnic and LGBTIQA+ minorities to reflect on diversity within their communities. It will also encourage the wider public to discuss discrimination against minorities and be aware of the effects of discrimination for those who experience it. In addition, the exhibition promotes the dismantling of confrontations – people can have a wide range of identities, and equality should be a goal, regardless of anyone’s background. The photographs in the exhibition are intended to encourage people who belong to an ethnic or religious minority who also belong to a sexual or gender minority. They’re not alone in their stories. These images aim to show people as they want to be seen, enable them to express their true feelings, and reinforce the story that diversity is a factor that unites humanity.

The exhibition results from a collaboration between Seta, Etno in Southern Finland, The Helsinki Pride Community, the City of Helsinki, Caisa Cultural Center and Stoa. The Finnish Ministry of Justice has funded the project.

The exhibition is organised in collaboration with the Finnish Embassy in Tallinn.

Supporters of the Exhibition: Cultural Endowment of Estonia, Nordea, Sorainen

Curators: Kristel Aimée Laur ja Toomas Järvet

Acknowledgements: Sanna Immanen, Mona-Liisa Louhisola, Rain Rannu, Märt Lume, Aku Sorainen, Triinu Mölder, Kaspar Kaur, Eesti LGBT Ühing