Poland: Lesbian Art Festival

Text by Barbara Gibson, translation Marta Kochanek

The logo of O'Less Festival 2012

 

Photographer and curator Barbara Gibson

O'Less Festival October 5-7 2012
Curator Barbara Gibson: An Art Festival that would only concentrate on Lesbian Art is something I have never heard about before. It is also something that had never happened in Poland anyway. Taking into account both facts as well as the fact that it is just about to happen, I decided to accept the offer to become a Coordinator of Photography Section during the O’Less Festival.

Although, all possible media more or less demonstrates the initiative and support towards LGBT community, there is still a great deal to be desired. I am quite sad to say that a Lesbian Culture does not exist, but we are making our first step. There are still questions that need to be answered … Does the Lesbian Art need to be defined, explored and showed off to a wide audience?

Well, as far as I count myself as a part of such movement, I definitely say ‘Yes’ and I believe there are many lesbians willing to support the whole idea. It is time for us to make a brave step forward and highlight the existence of lesbians within art and beyond. Let’s make it happen and let’s say it out loud – Here we are, proud and creative.

O’Less Festival includes activities related to Literature, Theatre, Photography, Movie, Music and Sport. Each section offers an expanded list of activities and we do believe that it’ll bring many lesbians together in one place to enjoy and celebrate diversity.

Call for Submissions for O'Less Festival
O’Less Festival will take Place in October in Warsaw / Poland. We will be accepting entries until the end of the day on August 31, 2012, so please do not hesitate to drop us a line. Write to me c/o our official festival email: oles2012@gmail.com.

Barbara Gibson / O’Less Photography Section Coordinator
Being a Photographer myself I can only express the importance of the Festival existence and encourage all interested lesbians to join us and take part.

As a Photographer I am very much intrigued by the unpredictable results obtained from experiments between the subject and myself. The discovery of often unseen beauty that surrounds me everyday, mood, and emotion at the exact moment the shutter clicks is what makes my photographs more than a mere snapshot. I do mainly start with a concept in my mind, but once I’m on set in front of the person I am to photograph … I just let the energy guide me. I concentrate to capture the unique and irreplaceable beauty of the world I see – nothing else is enough to please my demand for utmost expression. At the end it is all about photography and me being able to capture reality in the best possible and honest way putting 100% of myself in every single picture taken.

Photo above: Photographer and curator Barbara Gibson

Related Link:
Barbara Gibson’s online portfolio
The O’Less Festival site