“A Quest to Save White Men” & “it‘s giving Rich White Gay”, an evening with Aung & Corç George Demir
As part of the “Is Queer Political” Project
A lecture and a humorous act in English
Thu . 14.3.2023, 19:00h, QUEER MUSEUM VIENNA
Otto Wagner Areal, former. “Direktion”, Stiege 2, Hochpaterre,
Baumgartner Höhe 1, 1140 Wien
As part of the parallel program accompanying the current exhibition “Is Queer Political?”, Queer Museum Vienna presents an evening with Aung and Corç George Demir, guests selected through the Museum’s open call. Both Aung and Demir challenge normative narratives encountered within Western queer cultures, drawing from their unique intersectional experiences as queer cultural practitioners with migratory backgrounds.
In “A Quest to Save White Men” Aung draws inspiration from Gayatri Spivak’s seminal quote, “white men saving brown women from brown men,” humorously assuming the role of a brown male tasked with ‘saving’ white men, in return. Reflecting on his experiences navigating platforms like Grindr, he playfully challenges stereotypes and prejudices, in an attempt to establish a counter-public against whiteness and its racial hierarchies.
In “it’s giving Rich White Gay: Class and Whiteness in the Context of Queer Identities of Colour” Corç George Demir offers an autobiographical exploration of queer, immigrant, and working-class influences. Through a collection of anecdotes and reflections, he examines the intersections of class, race, and sexuality within a broader socio-political context. Departing from Eurocentric narratives that idealize white upper-class gay male experiences, Demir redirects his focus toward narratives relevant for the formation of queer immigrant working-class identities.
Aung (he/him) is originally from Burma/Myanmar and came to Vienna for further studies. He holds a master’s degree in Critical Gender Studies from the Central European University. He’s a literary writer and translator.
Corç George Demir (*1991 in Cologne) is a research-based interdisciplinary artist who lives and works in Cologne and Vienna. He has been recognised with prestigious awards for his work and his contributions include international exhibitions and publications in the arts and sciences. He is currently a PhD candidate in artistic research at the University of Applied Arts in Vienna.
The event will be in English
Documentary photos are taken during the event, please let us know when you attend and dont want to be on the photographs
free admission
“Is Queer Political” takes place within the framework of Shift
