Open Archive: A Queer Museum
10 am – 09:30 pm, 08 Mar 2025 & 10 am – 07 pm, 09 Mar 2025
Goethe Institut
58 Nguyen Thai Hoc, Ba Dinh, Hanoi
From Goethe Institut:
A Queer Museum (AQM), ba-bau AIR, and Goethe-Institut Hanoi warmly invite friends, colleagues, allies, the community, the audience, and those interested to our two-day archive opening
Our journey began with an individual (Nhung Đinh) in 2009, when she participated in research projects on LGBT+ history in Vietnam. Through meticulous work with queer communities in Vietnam and the region, projects like Bàn Lộn, Những Ngăn Tủ, and the Queer Museum, along with numerous programs within both official and unofficial frameworks, have become safe spaces for queer individuals, identities, and stories.
March is significant for AQM, marking several important milestones:
– March 2021: Thảo Linh (ba-bau AIR) and Nhung Đinh (AQM) initiated conversations about queer and feminist archives and their importance. These discussions extended from the damp parking lot of Thai Nguyen University (during the “khi MỜ khi TỎ” exhibition curated by Đinh Thảo Linh and organized by CEPEW, with Nhung Đinh as a participating artist) to a Queer Museum in the attic on the 4th floor at ba-bau AIR, Hanoi.
– March 2024: After returning from an exchange and learning trip in Germany, Nhung Đinh officially opened the permanent Queer Museum as a community archive space, no longer a transient project.
– March 2025: This project will be open to the public at the Goethe-Institut Hanoi, inviting everyone to listen, watch, and participate.
Archiving as a Community Practice involves collecting, preserving, and sharing historical, cultural, or collective memory materials in an open and participatory manner. Instead of relying solely on official archival institutions (museums, libraries, research institutes), this approach emphasizes the role of individuals and communities who are directly connected to the materials and wish to preserve, recount, or continue the stories.
Archiving is not just about organizing physical or digital documents; it also includes storytelling, artistic practices, rituals, and other ways of sharing memories.
A Queer Museum not only preserves the past but also serves as a living space where memories are recalled, connected to the present, and open up new dialogues about community, identity, and history.
The project “Building Queer and Feminist Archives” is part of the “Open Call: Queer Ideas” program initiated by Goethe-Institut Vietnam in 2023.
Follow updates on event’s page.
| Goethe-Institut Hanoi 56-58-60 Nguyen Thai Hoc, Ba Dinh, Hanoi Tel.: +84 24 3734 2251 Fax: +84 24 3734 2254 [email protected] website |
