Much more than we may realize, “invisible” normative ideas often restrict us. This applies both to ideas of the “right way to live” (heteronormativity) and the “right way to write.”

The four open sessions of Queer Writing – Against the Norm! (29 March, 7 June, 23 August, and 25 October, each from 1 to 5 pm) invite participants to question and subvert these norms and conventions through writing—and, in doing so, to discover writing as an empowering and resistant form of expression. Participants can contribute to a queer alphabet (“Queer from A–Z”) or follow other writing prompts, including their own. During and after the writing sessions, there will be opportunities to exchange ideas, read texts aloud, ask questions, and support one another.

Participants can also draw inspiration from the Weserburg itself—including works in the collection exhibition So wie wir sind, from Murat Önen’s Moving Pile under the Blue Sky (2022) to Zoe Leonard’s queer political manifesto I want a president (1992).

The four open workshop sessions are led by Bremen-based queer author Jutta Reichelt and are open to all queer people, regardless of background or writing experience. Everyone who enjoys writing and exchanging ideas in a group is warmly invited to join. Participants can attend one or several sessions without prior registration.

About the author:

Jutta Reichelt (born 1967) lives in Bremen and works as a writer and initiator of stories. She writes novels, short stories, and literary essays, blogs about writing stories, and leads writing workshops. Her writing has received several awards. In 2001, she received the Würth Prize of the Tübingen Poetics Lectureship, with Herta Müller delivering the laudatory speech. Her novel Wiederholte Verdächtigungen was published by Klöpfer & Meyer (Tübingen) in 2015, followed in 2020 by the literary portrait collection Blaumeier oder der Möglichkeitssinn (Bremen). In 2020, she received the literature project grant of Bremen’s Senator for Culture for her work on Mein Leben war nicht, wie es war. The novel was published by Kröner Verlag in 2024.

A cooperation between Literaturhaus Bremen, Weserburg Museum für moderne Kunst, Queeraspora e.V., Stadtbibliothek Bremen, and Rat&Tat–Zentrum für queeres Leben.

Who tells the story of eastern Germany—and whose perspectives continue to shape our image of the region today? For a long time, the history of German reunification was discussed primarily as an East-West narrative. Other power structures, including racism, antisemitism, and sexism, were often left out. The experiences of people with migration histories, Black East Germans, the children of former contract workers, and other marginalized groups rarely became part of public memory.

Katharina Warda, Marieke Reimann, and Nhi Le bring together three influential voices of the East German post-reunification generation who expand and reassemble these narratives. They discuss eastern Germany as a plural space of experience—shaped by transformation, far-right and racist violence, but also by solidarity, democratic engagement, and resistance.

Together, they discuss which gaps continue to shape debates about eastern Germany today, how our understanding of the post-reunification period changes when previously marginalized perspectives move to the center, and which narratives a plural and solidaristic society needs today—after reunification and after the elections.

Moderated by Klaas Anders

As part of the globale° Festival and the accompanying programs of the exhibitions The Way We Are at the Weserburg Museum für moderne Kunst and Die Kids sind nicht alright! at Syker Vorwerk – Zentrum für zeitgenössische Kunst.

A cooperation between globale°, Weserburg Museum für moderne Kunst, the DFG Research Training Group “Contradiction Studies” at the University of Bremen, Syker Vorwerk – Zentrum für zeitgenössische Kunst, Arbeitnehmerkammer Bremen, Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung Bremen, and Rosa-Luxemburg-Initiative Bremen. Funded by Demokratiezentrum Land Bremen as part of the federal program Demokratie leben!.

At the invitation of Literaturhaus Bremen, Linus Giese comes to the Weserburg in November for a two-day writing workshop as part of queer.lit! The workshop is aimed at young people between the ages of 15 and 19.

Through a variety of writing exercises, we will explore what “queer” means and what it can mean, transforming our experiences, feelings, and ideas into texts along the way.

No previous experience is required—just an interest in writing! Snacks and drinks will be provided.

The two-day writing workshop takes place in the Library of the Weserburg and in the exhibition spaces.

With plenty of time and space to write, participants can also draw inspiration from the museum itself—for example, from works in the collection exhibition The Way We Are, ranging from Murat Önen’s Moving Pile under the Blue Sky (2022) to Zoe Leonard’s queer political manifesto I want a president (1992).

About the author:
Linus Giese (he/him) writes about change and uses clay to give form to what words cannot express. His first book, Ich bin Linus, about his coming out and his life as a trans man, was published by Rowohlt Verlag in 2020. He lives in Berlin, is working on a new book, and is training to become an art therapist.

A cooperation between Literaturhaus Bremen and Weserburg Museum für moderne Kunst.

Register by 29 October 2026: janin.rominger@literaturhaus-bremen.de

With a hands-on program for families, family and curator-led tours, as well as vegetarian and non-vegetarian hot dogs, mulled wine, non-alcoholic punch, and other drinks.

Program
From 3 pm: Hands-on program for families with Britta Schröder and Elena Ortega
4 pm: Family tour with Elena Ortega
5 pm: Guided tour in English with curators Janneke de Vries (Weserburg) and Helle Brøns (Sorø Kunstmuseum)
7 pm: Guided tour with curator Janneke de Vries

About the exhibition:
Vibrant, exuberant colors, circles, stripes, and flowers; paintings, sculptures, drawings, films, textile works, furniture, and clothing; entire schools, hospitals, movie theater façades, and the covers of a book series: the work of Aase Seidler Gernes (1927–2018) and Poul Gernes (1925–1996) consistently crosses the boundaries between art, design, architecture, and everyday life. Above all, however, it is based on an understanding of art as a social and collaborative practice.

The exhibition Better Together! Aase & Poul Gernes, on view at the Weserburg Museum für moderne Kunst from November 2026, takes this idea as the starting point for a fundamental reassessment of their work. Many of the works that have previously been attributed solely to Poul Gernes—and achieved cult status in Denmark under his name—were created in close collaboration with his wife Aase from the late 1960s onward. For the first time, the exhibition provides a comprehensive view of this shared authorship and presents it alongside the artists’ respective independent works.

More information about the exhibition here.

14 November 2026 – 28 March 2027

Fig.: Poul Gernes, Target painting, 1967, Sorø Kunstmuseum, photo: Anders Sune Berg

Hands-on textile printing station with artist Claudia A. Cruz, inspired by the works of Danish artist and designer Aase Seidler Gernes. At 5 pm, Elena Ortega will lead a family-friendly tour of the exhibition Better Together! Aase & Poul Gernes. A DJ set by .Umi. accompanies the evening.

The Community Art Night also marks the opening of Print Together: for four days, the Weserburg is all about printing, experimenting, and creating together.

No previous experience is required.

About Community Art Night:
Once a month, the Project space at the Weserburg becomes an open workshop for creating, exchanging ideas, and experimenting together. On Thursdays from 4 to 8 pm, it becomes a space for people to meet and connect. No previous experience is required. Between 4 and 6 pm, visitors can also explore the current exhibitions. Short tours and conversations with people from Bremen’s urban community and the museum offer different perspectives on selected works and the themes of the exhibitions.

Fig.: Creative activities during Community Art Night in the Project space, photo: Ana Rodriguez Heinlein

Weserburg Museum für moderne Kunst invites visitors to the Print Together printmaking festival: for four days, everything revolves around printing, experimenting, and creating together. The program also includes a reading, workshops, and the opportunity to purchase original prints.

Program

Community Art Night x Printmaking Festival

Thursday, 26 November 2026, 4–8 pm

Textile printing with artist Claudia A. Cruz, inspired by the works of Danish artist and designer Aase Seidler Gernes. Family-friendly tour with Elena Ortega through the exhibition Better Together! Aase & Poul Gernes at 5 pm.

5 euro including museum admission, admission free for children and young people
Location: Project space and exhibition, Level 3

Junge Globale x Printmaking Festival

Friday, 27 November 2026, 10–11:30 am & 1–2:30 pm

Comic storytelling workshop with Belgian artist Justine Sow, followed by a reading from her book Wax Paradoxe with and for young people. Today, colorful wax fabric is widely regarded as an emblem of African identity—yet its roots lie in Indonesia and European colonial history. In her comic Wax Paradoxe (2025), Justine Sow tells the story of design student Sophia, who sets out to explore this contradiction.

Both formats will be held in French (from A2 level) and can be attended either together or separately. For school students, university students, participants in a voluntary social year, and trainees. The program is made possible by the VGH Stiftung.

Admission free. Registration required: proetzel@weserburg.de
Location: Library

Hands-on Stations & Prints for Sale

Saturday, 28 November & Sunday, 29 November 2026, 11 am–6 pm

• Risograph printing with the D.O.C.H. collective: Karin Demuth, Julia Dambuk, Carolin Klapp, Lucia Mendel, Katharina Dacrés
• Relief printing with Evita Emersleben and Pia van Nuland
• Intaglio printing with Garabatos Atelier
• Hand typesetting with the heads of the screen-printing and intaglio workshops at the University of the Arts Bremen: Zane Zlemeša & Judith Lena Bartels

A project by Weserburg Museum für moderne Kunst. Supported by Künstlerinnenverband Bremen, GEDOK, and students of the University of the Arts Bremen.