The Exhibition State of Mind opened at The Municipal Gallery on July 17th. The innaguration was done by The Swedish Embassy in Kiev who for the event was present with two representatives. The closing date for the exhibition is August 7th 2009.

The tour also includes the Lezzie Think Tank (LTT) and the video workshop Leaving Your Trace. Both carried out in close collaboration with the Organization Sphere on July 19th. It was documented by the artists as well as the Kharkiv photographer, Tanyusha. In Kharkov the relay topics came from Gothenburg. The new set of issues was sent to Kiev.

::: Slideshow with video stills from Leaving Your Trace>>>
http://www.ltt.aview.se/film_sasha_som.htm

::: Leaving Your Traces (sample) Leaving Your Trace>>>

Reception was held at 6 pm on July 17th.
Exhibition State of Mind 17.07.2009 - 07.08.2009.
A Masterclass was held on July 20th at The Municipal Gallery.

LTT PARTNERS FOR KHARKOV 2009

The generous support from Swedish Institute secured the State of Mind Tour in Ukraine. The Swedish Embassy in Kiev is giving additional support to the exhibition in both Kharkiv and Kiev.

::: Sphere, Womens Organization>>>
::: Exhibiting partner The Municipal Gallery in Kharkov>>>
::: Krona, Gender department at University
::: Café Agata



Ukraine and Moldavia Lgbtq people may now assemble in public space, April 2010 >>>

Summary for the work session with Annica Karlsson Rixon & Anna Viola Hallberg On the 17-th of July 2009 at 17:00 the exhibition of photo and video installations by Anna Viola Hallberg and Annica Karlsson Rixon opened in Kharkiv city art gallery. The exhibition is called “State of Mind” and tells about lesbians’ lives in many cities of different countries of the world. Particularly in Kharkiv works concerning to life mostly in Saint-Petersburg (Russia) will be shown. It was possible to visit the exhibition till the 7-th of August 2009.

The installation was announced except our Organization also by Kharkiv City Authority and Kharkiv city art gallery. As a result the opening was visited by representatives of different media – regional editions and tv-channels. However, as we found out later, not all of them made plots in the ether. As we were told by some reporters of a channel “Kharkiv New” because of the exhibition’s subject their editors refused to edit this material, though reporters considered the subject was interesting.

Hearing different thoughts and reading different comments It’s still an open question: so what was that coming from Sweden – a work of art or Saint-Petersburg coming-out. To our mind that is the main collision of this event.

On the 19-th of July 2009 at 12:00 we invited all our friends to the meeting at the format of Lezzie Think Tank. Such a format, as we were explained, in some way is similar to “a round-table discussion” and in some way is similar to “a brain storm”. The meeting’s subject was: “How is it for homosexual and queer people to live in Kharkiv?” Information received at this meeting will be used by Swedish artists for further creating of our city’s description-portrait. We asked everyone, who wants to participate in the arrangement, to register by e-mail, sms or phone numbers. So it happened in art-café Agatha. At Lezzie Think Tank we were discussing an issues of LGBT-organizations, the history of LGBT-movement in Ukraine appearing, collaboration with media, coming-out, children upbringing in the same-sex partnerships, social stereotypes concerning to lgbt- and queer-people. After this discussion we created a number of questions to the city which will be the next participant of the project. After that there was video-materials shooting for further installations with ladies living in Kharkiv. Author format of them supposes that a hero/lady-hero of the camera answers questions concerning to a life of queer- and lgbt-people in our city. By a wish of a hero/lady-hero it’s possible to hide the face, not demonstrate the video in particular cities of our country, Union of Independent Countries or the world. During the whole week-end we had a possibility to communicate with art figures - ladies-activists of LGBT-movement of Sweden Anna Viola Hallberg and Annica Karlsson Rixon. And on Monday – July, 20 – everybody interested was able to visit their “workshop” on photography art.

We think that these several days with Anna Viola Hallberg and Annica Karlsson Rixon were exclusive for ladies who live in Kharkiv and for us as a social organization who works for women, including lesbians and bisexual women. It was very important for us that it was a three-ways collaboration. From one side the exhibition was in the space of authority financing and it’s a step of development, because it means that the subject is visible for people of power. From other hand it was a chance for lgbt-community to mobilize, to meet a piece of art openly and frankly expressing thoughts, emotions, stories of real homosexual people living not that far from our city, in a neighbor’s Russia. It’s a brave experience of a person to be out; to be ready to share this experience with another people facing the same problems. And from the third side the exhibition is an art-event. It means that it’s also for people who form a big professional field. And as we all know the best way to make the impact in our stable, ossified society is to suggest people to stop for a minute and think. And there is no better way to do that than by means of visualized images and cinematography pieces that are both catching the attention and giving the deep mental understanding. We, WA “Sphere” (Ukraine, Kharkiv), consider it an honor that Kharkiv and our organization became a part of the exhibition’s “State of Mind” network.

Host in Kharkiv, Ukraine: Sphere.
Host in Gothenburg, Sweden: Womens community College
(T:= Topic, R:= Response)

Session 1 - Response to topics sent from Gothenburg LTT: (T:=Topic, R:=Response) 1. BEING OUT
T: How out can you be in various contexts (job, school, family. friends, public space)? How do you/can you express this both physically and by words? What do you call you partner in different contexts? What prevents you from being out if anything? Are there any out celebrities in Ukraine?

R: When we talk about issues on being out, often queer-people need to resort to different devices because there is a big range of internal fears and apprehensions of telling somebody the truth of who you are and about your private life. First of all it is very important for a person him/herself. So there is a necessity to deceive, keep back or hide the real answers on questions about your personal relationships.

R: There is a fear of a negative reaction or breaking of connections – in a family, at work, with friends: “There is not enough strength to tell old friends. With my family I’m more open. I told about myself my sister and my father. There is not enough ordinary human freedom…” But there is a striving for being open and truthful with people you are communicating with. Being out gives a number of advantages: - demonstration of your opinion, because it’s important to express yourself. Especially if it’s concerning to public people; - feeling of comfort that everybody is equal (if we are talking about tastes in food or having somebody in bed); - giving somebody else power and strength who feels him/herself not ordinary; - absence of fears to be different – there is no occasion for discrimination on skin color, height, orientation and so on; - personal example makes other people think; - a term “norm” rises and frames of this norm begins to expand; - understanding develops. For instance, we start to lecture for students (schoolchildren). As a result a deletion of sharp attention to sex differences appears. And understanding that everybody is equal appears. R: Absence of discrimination is a matter of a personal success! It’s important to give strength to fight. In this case a sensation appears: of responsibility, freedom, lack of fears to express your own opinion and to stand up for your attitude. This pushes other people to think of it. There is a need to have an attitude and to speak aloud! Counteraction from other people exists. This happens because of the way people here lived before. There was a patriarchal family, which born a lot of stereotypes. Accordingly people grew up exactly under these conditions. But nowadays there are much more independent women – and that means a lot.

R: Also a place of living is very significant. There is an issue on a level of education, erudition and awareness. It’s about having an adequate environment perception and also it forms a circle of people you are communicating with.

R: Religion in the context is kind of a delicate and individual question. Actually we don’t have prejudices concerning to bodily contacts. As heterosexual couples afford a lot of thing to themselves, so the reaction is usually normal. When we talk about our private life to people who are not very close we call our partners: a partner, a beloved person, by name, a lady-friend, a wife, my love… Among out homosexuals, who are public people or celebrities, we can name Anatolij Jarema – he is a famous tv-presenter and a producer, also a singer L Kravchuk (but it seems he is not very open). Also Grigorij Skovoroda – a famous national philosopher and a writer.

2. PUBLIC SPACE
T: Have there been any parades/rallies or other types of actions in Kharkiv (or in Ukraine) in concern for LGBTQ oriented human rights issues? What does it take to do such actions in public space? What would be the next step you would like to organize? In civic society what is it about LGBTQ that people react about? What are the prejudices?

R: On the territory of Ukraine, Russia and other nearest countries of Soviet Union there are many public arrangements being carried out. If we are talking about Kharkiv we have: - sports arrangements (football, volley-ball matches, tennis games), bicycle-rounds; - flash-mobs. For instance to the International Women’s Day on March,8 there was a flash-mob with pans. It’s goal was to destroy a stereotype about roles of a man and a woman in a traditional family. At the event also leaflets were given out. - movies’ demonstration, exhibitions; Sometimes these events are covered by media. There was an incident. In Lviv – Western Ukraine – a group of representatives of a local lgbt-organization was bombarded with eggs by radically acting young people. There is a number of organizational things that should be provided before a public activity: 1. Firstly it’s a bout gathering and inviting people. Usually by the time of such an event the delivery is made. But actually the delivery is rather closed, that’s why it’s hardly possible to enlarge a circle of people invited more than in the particular deliveries. We are talking about mail deliveries. So it’s very important to be also active in a virtual world by means of blogs, forums and social networks. It’s a pity, but often people don’t even have an excess to Internet or they just don’t have enough time to participate. 2. Also it’s needed to confirm a possibility to carry out a public event through a city’s authority. The problem is that if rude people with negative attitude know about the date of the event s there is a possibility that they would come. It’s a question of a safety that is very important too. Those people have a lot of prejudices in their minds: - they don’t have and don’t want to have enough lgbtq-information; - they were living with Soviet Union basis; - partly prejudices appear because of the behavior of lgbt-community itself. To improve the situation is possible by bringing changes in the national legislation, informing youth, for example, in higher educational establishments. This way from a sphere of lgbt-community could competent experts appear and have their own stable voice. Also there is a very important question about media’s loyalty. Because every arrangement can’t be successful if it’s not covered with media. For this process it’s necessary to carry out an activity of inviting press-representatives and forming in the press professional sphere an image of an activity or an organization who carries out this activity. Inside the system of this professional field there is also a problem of nonofficial censorship. A significant issue is that every event in order to be dimensioned and interesting supposes to be financed for flags, leaflets, spaces and other attendant stuff.

3. POLITICS
T: Starting with Sphere what strategies and goals do you have? Do you have any mentor organization? Or where do you get your inspiration to carry out the work? What does the collaborations with other organizations look like? What brings together/divide gay men and lesbian women?

R: The strategy of Women Association “Sphere” is that a lesbian community integrates in the society. For this purpose we make all the activities open for women not depending on a sexual orientation. We value our uniqueness a lot, gathering some parts of our identity from congenial organizations and/or leaders/ladies-leaders. Sometimes it’s just separate people. For example, in Kharkiv there is Women Association “Krona” (Ukraine, Kharkiv) which provides scientific activity in a field of gender. They are a reference point for us in a sense of theoretic work. Inspiration for us are people who come to arrangements and after that express their opinions on them. From the other hand, we are inspired by women who already made something significant and continue their activity. We see the cooperation in three ways: 1) regional organizations – doesn’t work, firstly because there are a few and actually there is no choice. So we manage to provide parties’ organizing and support an initiative. 2) national organizations – on a level of declaration…3) international organizations – no collaboration. There are possibilities of a formal one, however it’s not inspiring for us. We have a joint project with Anna Viola Hallberg and Annica Karlsson Rixon. As for gay men they more often visit rest-places. And in Ukraine nowadays only HIV-service organizations work with homosexual men.

4. HISTORY
T: Is the LGBTQ history in Kharkiv (in Ukraine) documented? Is there any mentioning of LGBTQ people in any official history writing? What could/should be said?

R:During the period of repressions 1937-1938 first gays were being sent to deportation. After that a legislative item 121 of Criminal Code for sodomy was implemented. And women-lesbians were forced to receive treatment in psychiatric clinics. Actually it was not a treatment it was a personality destroying. This was one of repressions’ display of existing regime.
At the legislative level the item 121 was repealed in 1991. Also there were changes in according items of Constitution, an item of nondiscrimination and other norms brought in. Ukraine became the first country of the former Soviet Union which called off this item.
R:Approximately since 1984 a commercial book printing appeared. And books about real or unreal stories about famous writers and artists appeared. In period of 1991-1998 different publications in media on homosexuality showed up. There were demonstrated as sweet a desert.
R:Since 1999 till 2005 already serious things concerning to lgbtq-issues and also gender researches come into the society. LGBTQ-problems in the frame of gender researches – as an introduction to gender researches – began to rise. This theme becomes legal. A real activity begins. A first research among women-lesbians appears. After it the brochure on LGBT-people in Ukraine, their rights and lives was edited. At that time in Ukraine there was a big range of foreign literature both in Russian and Ukrainian. Money of other countries (grants and sponsorships) were put in the LGBT-movement in Ukraine. From 2005 registered in according authority bodies LGBTQ-organizations appear. Initiative groups are formed throughout Ukraine. Today there are 19 social organizations in our country. Nowadays there are a number of subjects, broadcasts, news plots and so on on TV and other media. LGBTQ-themes became a particular part of national either.

5. IDENTITY
T: Is it of importance to identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, transsexual or queer? What is the benefit? What are the categories used? What do you call (label) yourself? Do the categories used by people from the LGBTQ group impact on the forming of stereotypes (both positive and negative)? How does one find “the community”?

R: An issue of identity is very important. Solving inward questions^ “who am I?” a number of changes happen inside a person: - mental condition improves, because negative thoughts of ambiguity go away, a feeling of naturalness and confidence appear; - in accordance physical health improves; - a person begins to enjoy his/her life; - an understanding of him/herself comes; - a person becomes free for him/herself; - a person can be both a director/lady-director or an actor/actress of his/her own life; - no need to hide the truth any more. It’s very important to find yourself even if it’s not about an orientation. In our country before it was hard to definite and understand: “what’s wrong with me?” because of an information lack. Now we are able to see, hear, read Internet. A person goes some way in order to understand who he/she is and what he/she wants to do. Pluses are that identifying him/herself on a sexual orientation and confessing in who he/she is it’s possible to move further. I am a lesbian. I know what I need. I know what I want and I like it! There are also minuses. Identifying oneself in a particular way to the society it’s possible to face a negative attitude both from the society or separate individuals, sometimes problems at work begin, or incomprehension from parents’ side. As rule it’s a matter of stereotypes. Stereotypes are general rules. The main problem of stereotypes’ existing is that upbringing of our society was mostly in the last century in Soviet Union. Also there is a question of forming of a particular stereotype from a side of television. - a man is chief and a woman is week. Many people share this point of view, even women! - If you became a lesbian that means that you didn’t meet a right man. Or this good man doesn’t want to even look at you, he is not interested in you. So you should go and sleep with another man, who is as freak as you are. - it’s not possible to be happy without a man, a traditional family; - a lesbian has the same appearance as a man does; - religious issue – another way of living just can not be. Only traditional conceptions. - There is n chance to feel orgasm without a man… And so on and so forth. The primary method of searching for our people is Internet.

Questions sent are subject to interpretation. They might be altered, by the next hosting organization, but will contain the same issues. The questions are given to the host at the beginning of the session there is no preparation time.


Session 2 - Topics sent to Kev LTT:
About personal:
T: Where do children come from in a lesbian family? What are the criteria of a couple’s readiness for a child to appear? What problems can a child of a homosexual couple confront? What is the specificity of a biological child upbringing and of a non-biological child upbringing? Non-biological parent – what’s his/her positioning for the society? Is there a necessity in coming-out? What are the criteria of coming-out’s “necessity”?

LGBTQ-subculture:
T: Are the clubs/spaces for lesbians’ gathering? What people – ladies-representatives of art “out of closet” do you know? What arrangements/events for LGBTQ-people are there in Kiev? In Ukraine? Why do exactly sports-entertaining arrangements become the basis for LGBT-movement? What is the recognizing criteria of a lesbian “in a crowd” – in the sense of appearance, clothes, accessories and so on? What are the possibilities for meeting?

LGBTQ-issues in the academic (scientific) sphere:
T: Do you know anything about such a interaction? Do you know (what) gender research including LGBTQ-issues? What figures in this sphere do you know? What is your opinion concerning to such a scientific work? Is such a collaboration between academic sphere and social organizations necessary? What can forms and subjects of this interaction be?

Social activity:
T: Social organization of Kiev; how many GB and LB organizations? Why is this distribution? What can assist in interaction with regional organizations? What can forms and subjects of this cooperation be? What are the obstacles for cooperation between organizations? What are the possibilities for activity financing for homo- and bisexual women? Possibilities for interaction with the government and fixing LGBT-rights at the legislative level? Rights observance “de facto” – does it exist, what are methods?

Links by Sphere:
::: We have articles on the exhibition, LTT and Leaving Your Trace at our site. So You can follow the links to see them>>>
::: Here are a lot of photos>>>
::: Leaving Your Trace & Lezzy Think Tank process photos from Agata bar and video shoot at Ploshyad Poezii/Poetry Square, Kharkiv, 19th July 2009 (photo: Tanyusha)>>>

Leaving Your Traces, Kharkiv
Exhibition poster, Kharkiv Municipal Gallery