ABSTRACT
In many parts of Central Eastern Europe queer rights and representations spark cultural tensions, political conflicts, acts of censorship, and even violence. The post-1989 transition has given rise to a new dissidence of love and sexuality – against the legacy of the totalitarian systems, religious fundamentalisms, complacent society and the new far-right governments. Therefore, despite the EU protection, queer culture and activism functions in a volatile climate of culture war. The chapter focuses on selected art works by CEE artists, which thematize homophobia. Such artists as Igor Grubic from Croatia, Liisi Eelmaa and Minna Hint from Estonia, Karol Radziszewski from Poland, and Igor Mirutzu from Romania analyze homophobic language and behavior and their societal and personal impact. The artists interrogate homophobia with the space of their art works – with far-reaching implications for sexual politics and the society at large. The aim is to analyze four art installations that showcase and visualize different aspects of Eastern European homophobia and its everyday and political praxis.
