QUEER ART IN THE GDR? An evening with Caspar Gutsche
Reading and Talk
Moderated by Stephan Koal
Caspar Gutsche, author of the early lesbian protocols (1991) and companion of Erika Stürmer-Alex, reads from her debut novel ‘Ich tanze nun mal nicht gerne Standard’ (I just don’t like dancing standard) about her childhood and time at the Lietzen artists’ colony, which Stürmer-Alex created in 1982 as a free space in Brandenburg. The reading offers personal and literary insights into life as a lesbian woman in the GDR and dealing with social role models and ideological expectations.
Caspar Gutsche works as an author and has been active as a singer and songwriter for over thirty years. Her first novel “Ich tanze nun mal nicht gerne Standard” was published last autumn by Querverlag. To balance out her verbosity, she engages in both craft and design, ranging from interior design to shoemaking. Born and raised in East Berlin, she lives with her wife in Berlin-Zehlendorf.
Stephan Koal is a co-founder and director of KVOST. His career began in 2003 at C/O Berlin. From 2010 to 2018, he curated the “Portfolio Berlin” exhibition series at the Kunsthalle Rostock, where he organized an exhibition of Gregor Hildebrandt’s work in 2024. From 2007 to 2010, he worked as curator and project manager at Art Biesenthal. For KVOST, he curated exhibitions including “Clara Mosch,” “The Auto-Perforation Artists,” and “QUEER ART IN THE GDR? Biographies Between Underground and Propaganda.”