Home. Security. Freedom. Why DANA ART FEST is more than a festival

DANA ART FEST is the first international queer art festival to bring together artists, activists, and audiences around a central theme "Home. Security. Freedom". The project, named after singer Dana International, aims to create a safe space for the LGBTQ+ community, helping to overcome the trauma of discrimination and forced migration through creative expression. The festival includes International Online Stage (May 17 to August 21) and culminating face-to-face day in Hamburg, the program of which will combine discussions, master classes and interdisciplinary performances - from modern choreography to drag shows and stand-up. The main goal of the organizers is to create a long-term platform for integrating and supporting queer people, where every voice counts.

To participate in DANA ART FEST there are Two main check-in options: International Online Stage (open until August 21) for artists, writers and musicians who want to speak out on the topic "Home. Security. Freedom", and Open call for artists (until July 17), applying for participation in the evening show program:

What does a person have left if he loses his home? Sometimes it is only memory. Sometimes it is the tongue. Sometimes it is art.

For millions of people, the word "home" today has ceased to mean a specific place on the map. War, forced migration, discrimination and the inability to be oneself force one to rediscover a space where one can feel safe.

That is why the three words are Home. Security. Freedom. — became the theme of the first international queer art festival DANA ART FEST.

Its essence is to create a meeting space for artists, viewers and communities, exposing through creativity the social problems faced by LGBTQ+ people and their pain.

Today, Europe is going through several processes at the same time, including:

• war and forced migration;
• the growth of polarization of society;
• search for new forms of integration;
• the need to create safe spaces for people with different life experiences.

All this affects each of us, and in the context of these events, it is art that can become a unifying force that will give a sense of community, help every queer person understand that he is not alone in what he had to face.

Our festival was named after Dana International, who has become one of the most recognizable figures of world pop culture. Her victory at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1998 was an important cultural event far beyond the music competition. It has become a symbol that art has the power to change public perceptions, open up space for diversity, and make visible those whose voices have long gone unnoticed.

In many of its performances and songs, Dana International addresses the themes of home, freedom, acceptance, and the human right to be oneself. It was these values that formed the basis of the festival.

The festival is already alive.

From May 17 to August 21, an international online stage is open, in which anyone can take part, regardless of their country of residence. To do this, you will need to send your work through the Google form at link. Similar Shape is also available in German. 

We invite artists, photographers, writers, musicians, and digital art creators to share their stories on the theme "Home. Security. Freedom." The best works will be published by the festival's media partners and presented to a wide audience. We are interested in making your voice heard by as many people from the community as possible.

In addition, an open call for artists is planned. Until July 17, applications for participation in the evening program continue to be accepted. You can send your creative work by link. Similar Shape is also available in German. 

We are convinced that contemporary queer art cannot be limited to one genre. That is why the evening program will bring together a variety of art forms - from drag performance and burlesque to modern choreography, vocals, stand-up and experimental art.

The main criterion is the artistic value of the work and compliance with the theme of the festival. It is important for us that the works of the participants do not contradict the values of the event, including inclusivity, tolerance, respect for the identities of other people.

The culmination and final stage will be the face-to-face day of the festival. Dana Art Fest is a tribune for queer artists, and on day X we plan to organize a space in Hamburg where everyone can hear each other.

The program includes:

• discussions;
• artist talks;
• master classes;
• open meetings;
• presentation of the best works of the online stage;
• artistic performances;
• music program;
• Gala closing of the festival.

Dana Art Fest is not a one-time event, but a long-term project that aims to create and strengthen a creative community for LGBTQ+ people, including those who have survived migration and are joining the European socio-cultural context from scratch. We can't give everyone a "home" because it's too individual. But we can definitely give everyone the opportunity to feel unity with other queer people, to express themselves and their feelings, to express their pain through art and creativity.

Dana Art Fest – an international space for dialogue. The festival brings together artists, representatives of civil society organizations, researchers, activists and audiences around a conversation about how art helps to experience trauma, build new communities and create a sense of belonging.

For people with migration experience, culture is becoming one of the most important tools for integrating into a new life. And our main task is to facilitate this integration by providing an environmentally friendly and understanding space and the necessary tools.

And we would not have been able to take this significant step towards the formation of such a community without the support of people. Without their stories, life experience, creativity. And, of course, without our partners.

The following organizations help us with the organization of the festival:

• Doberman.media
• KulturKlinker Barmbek e.V.
• KASKADE e.V.

The direct organizers of the event are:

• Soziokulturelle Art Werner Company e.V.
• Hyacinth Free Alliance Queer Community e.V.
• NGO "Queer Alliance Antey"

We invite cultural institutions, public organizations, artists, media and volunteers to cooperate.

A house cannot be given as a gift.

But it is possible to create a place where a person will stop feeling like a stranger at least for one day.

We believe that DANA ART FEST will be just such a space.

A space where art helps to talk about the most important things.

Where different stories become part of the overall conversation.

Where the sense of belonging appears.

And where everyone can say:

And where everyone can say, "My vote matters."