06. 03. – 16. 03. 2025 (opening: Thursday 6.3. 2025 18:00 / Open: Thu-Sun 1-7pm)
Kolektiv Plusko+, a Brno-Prague-based queer group, was born out of an urgent need for a safe place to meet regularly for all trans*, intersex, asexual, queer and bisexual people, gay and lesbian people, as well as for all those who are the “plus”, for all those who are finding themselves, and for true allies. Plusko+ strives to actively expand and strengthen the Czech queer community scene through weekly educational and caring activities organized according to D.I.Y. and free culture principles.
Accessibility information:
- The space is wheelchair-accessible, but it may be necessary to unlock the second entrance – just ask someone present or contact us once we are at the space.
- If not indicated otherwise, the program is usually accessible for both Czech and English speakers.
- Entrance is free, but you can support Plusko+ collective’s activities with a voluntary donation.
- There are gender-neutral toilets available, drinking water, ear plugs and respirators, and vegan food which will be prepared at certain phases of the program. If you feel at all sick, please use a respirator.
- We provide quiet relaxation zones with comfortable lighting conditions for everyone. All proposals aiming to create a more comfortable space for all people present are welcome and we will do our best to make them happen.
- Providing a safe space for everyone is Pluskolektiv+’s priority – we will not tolerate any form of queerphobia, xenophobia, racism or other forms of hatefulness. The organizers reserve the right to expel from the premises anyone who disrupts the safe space.
- The organizers will be visibly marked. In case of any questions, please approach us personally at the space or online on our Instagram @pluskolektiv.
PROGRAM
Thursday–Sunday, 6–16 March 2025, 13.00–19.00 / GAMU, Malostranské náměstí 12, Praha 1
Swap circle: more than just second-hand clothes
A space for the circulation of textiles, accessories or whatever you don’t need anymore and which may bring joy to someone else. The opportunity to leave behind something you don’t need and pick up something you want. Trading is not mandatory.
Queer library
A space for communal reading, browsing and discovering queer literature, poetry, and zines. The selection includes both theoretical and artistic publications. Facilities for copying and printing select excerpts will be available. The space also invites people to bring their own original books and share them.
Compiling collective queer archives
An interactive form of collective writing in thematic diaries. The option to leave your thoughts, feelings, and messages for other visitors.
Queer listening room
An open space for listening to both your original and others’ music, watching videos or playing video games. This open space provides the technologies for sharing diverse multimedia content.
OPENING NIGHT: QUEER SOUND, VOICE AND MUSIC
Thursday, 6 March 2025, 18.00–21.00
18.00 – Opening remarks
18.30 – Open mic and synth voice play
An open stage for anyone who wants to present their original works, sing, recite, read a part of their favorite book… There will be a synth which will transform everyone’s voice!
20.00 – DJ set: poison ivy
CREATIVE Z!NE AND STICKER UTOPIA
Friday, 7 March, 13.00–19.00
14.00–17.30
Linocut, Collage, Binding, DIY Stickers
As part of the Plusko+ workshop we will cut, print, glue, compose, and combine various methods of putting our thoughts to paper. All steps will be explained during the event, from the initial printing to the final binding, so no previous experience is necessary. We will create zines, diaries and stickers. Materials will be available, but if you have your own images, texts or something you would like to include in your work, definitely bring it along. You can work alone or collectively, improvise and play.
18.00 – Live online lecture – An International History of Queeruption: a free DIY radical queer gathering 1998–2010 (ENG)
From squats and their community centers to autonomous workshops – Queeruption created temporary spaces of resistance, community and celebration. Cyber Shanahoy will provide an overview of the radical history of DIY culture from the perspective of an international anarchist festival which thrived in the first decade of the 21st century.
Cyber Shanahoy is a genderqueer femme dyke, independent filmmaker and subculture nerd currently living in New York.
TO TRANSFORM IS TO SURVIVE
Saturday, 8 March, 13.00–19.00
14.00 – The big upcycling workshop (This outfit was a mistake and that’s what makes it perfect!)
Do you have some clothes at home you no longer wear? You can breathe new life into them in our upcycling workshop. Paint it, retailor it, spray it, cut it up and make it into patches, tear it up and use it as yarn for a new sweater, color it with beet juice and use it at home as a tablecloth. Materials will be available in the space, but you are also invited to bring your own clothes and retailor them.
17.00 – Miss GAMU 2025
The first and last year of an untraditional beauty pageant – the best chance to be iconic, dramatic, or totally confused. Ideally all at once! No particular gender, age or experience required, it’s all about presence, wit and the ability to step out of your comfort zone. The categories are open, the rules fluid, but one thing is certain – the winners will make hertory and will forever have a special place in all our hearts. We invite the competitors, the audience and the jury to take part.
GAMU OVER
Sunday, 9 March, 13.00–19.00
13.00–19.00
Playing video games, board games and card games
Playing games isn’t just about having fun – it is a way to try out new roles, create new worlds and shake up the rules. We nominate Sunday afternoon as the best time for sharing a game! Various games will be made available, but don’t hesitate to bring your own favorite one.
17.00 – Pub quiz (CZ)
Whether you are a walking library of obscure knowledge or want to try your luck, come to the Plusko+ pub quiz in the gallery. Our strict but fair moderator once said, “It’s not about winning, but taking part” – and she is always right. We invite both groups and individuals to this intellectual showdown.
18.00 – Screening of the Czech Television Show – Queer: Men in High Heels I., II. (CZ)
Czech drag in the ‘90s? A time when queer entertainment in the Czech Republic emerged from underground clubs into the spotlight. A sudden euphoria, the thrill of visibility, shock and fascination from the mainstream – followed by the inevitable disillusionment. What remained after the explosion of freedom?
The groundbreaking show Q (Queer) was unique not only for bringing queer topics to public television but also for documenting the evolution of the Czech queer scene over time. The two selected episodes dive into the world of Czech travesty and drag performance – from intimate private parties to grand stages, from improvised acts to meticulously crafted artistry.
Come watch archival footage that captures a moment when everything seemed possible – yet everything was constantly on the edge. A story of queer visibility in the Czech Republic, where glamour meets reality, applause comes with uncertainty, and sequins mix with sweat that was never quite enough for full recognition.
QUEER SCHOOL
Tuesday, 11 March, 10.00–13.00
An open encounter with the New Media 2 studio (AVU)
What is it like studying a program where working by error is not a mistake but rather the method? Transformations in the education system are not just a question of planning for the long term – they can’t ever stop. What is it like studying art in a studio working to queer academia from the inside? What if art weren’t taught by evil, self-obsessed and sexist studio heads, but rather by the three Norns? The New Media 2 studio at the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague comes together as a community which often asks one question – how to create something which doesn’t exist yet?
The meeting is open to all who wish to sneak a peek, join in, pose a question or just stay a while.
HER QUEER STORIES
Thursday, 13 March, 13.00–21.00
14.00 – Workshop: How to write a speech for a demonstration
“Your silence will not protect you.” (Audre Lorde)
How to write so that the words don’t dry on the page, but touch the bodies and the street, and spur people to action? How to write in a language which does not parrot the language of power structures, but rather disrupts them? This workshop is an invitation to find one’s voice which needn’t be loud to be heard – a voice that works with rhythm, silence, and emphasis. A writing which isn’t just words but also gestures, emotions, memories, and intention.
16.00 – Book club
What book should get more recognition? The book club provides opportunity to share your favorite texts, read an excerpt, show an illustration or just listen and discover new authors, theories and stories.
19.00 – Intersectional Circle
The Intersectional Circle is a collective platform which connects queer and feminist thinking with social praxis. It develops from the tradition of reading circles where theoretical texts are not considered closed system but rather as food for discussion and critical reflection. Through shared reading and analysis, we ask how theories relate to real experiences, how they form our world view and how they can be developed into tools of change. This time, the Intersectional Circle will discuss the text Community Care and Relationship-Building, available online on the Cosmic Anarchy Substack, and feature a shared discussion. Dr. Ayesha Khan, scientist, activist, and author, explores community care in a clear and accessible way, presenting it as a key tool for building sustainable relationships and breaking free from the individualistic, capitalist mindset that shapes society.
Familiarity with the text is not mandatory but recommended.
SLEEPOVER: WARM AND TIRED
Friday, 14 March, 13.00 – overnight!
14.00–17.00
Crocheting stim toys
Come crochet something soft, squishy and soothing! Together, we will create stim toys which will please the hands and soul. All levels of experience are welcomed.
17.00 – Tea and gossip (about the cistem)
Living in the cistem means constantly being confronted with a hostile, often unbearable, reality. The exhaustion of living in constant defense mode is not a side effect, but a targeted mechanism of oppression.
Come relax to a place where you can share your thoughts and even mix your own custom-made tea infusion to give you warmth and strength.
18.00 – Evening yoga session
We invite you to a peaceful yoga session with Innes and Jula where you can stretch your body and relax your mind. Come relax, get in tune with yourself and get energized!
Yoga mats are a plus.
19.00 – Cooking and shared dinner
21.00 – Premiere of the film Ranní ptáče dál nedoskáče (The Morning Bird Does Not Get the Worm)
Two people who have been close in the past but have drifted apart meet again in waking life and in dreams. The performance society has driven them apart and one of them has fallen prey to the late-capitalist world. The other person embodies the metaphor of a dream and wants them to become close again. A manifesto about sleep and the existential sense of the pervasive and often absurd “time hunting” which robs us of our relaxation time.
22.00 – Ambient set: M.K.
The ambient tracks from M.K.’s original album Usínání v ambientu (Ambient Sleep) are like sound essays unbounded by any firm limits of reality. They combine field recording, synthesizers and sound destruction.
22.00 – Sleepover
Shared sleepover at the gallery on World Sleep Day. All you need is a sleeping bag, a sleeping mat and some comfortable clothes.
YASSIFICATION OF GAMU
Saturday, 15 March, 9.30–19.00
9.30 – Morning meditation with Chapell Moan
Like Chapell Roan, only penniless and ‘ezo.’ She just wants everyone to feel HOT TO GO! The amazing and luscious diva Chapell Moan will walk us through the morning ritual which will cuddle and coddle our body and soul. Getting up on time has never been this sexy.
10.30 – How to make breakfast
Also under the guidance of Chapell Moan, who will be particularly generous this time. Bread and marmeslayed or perhaps some vegan eggs-travagance? She will definitely serve the best on the menu.
12.00 – Drag, make-up and fashion corner
Time to glam! We will glam up, make-up, dress up, make costumes and transform into our most decorative selves.
14.00 –
Sunbathing at Petřín
See and be seen. Spring is coming and we are taking it to the streets again. As the most beautiful flowers, we grow through the soil and need some of that sweet vitamin D. Join us for a very short walk and sunbathing at Petřín with the best-dressed group ever.
16.00–19.00
Queer prom! Karaoke and day rave
Dress code: evening gowns and fancy footwear. This ball is for dancing and singing, and you can still come home early and sleep! Fun will be served by DJs California Bitch and Angelo+Eizola. A day rave for all those who want to turn in nice and early.
PLUSKO+ CENTER: IT’S HAPPENING!
Sunday, 16 March, 13.00–19.00
14.00 – Sharing skills and knowledge
DIY: do it yourself! The event offers an open space for the non-hierarchical sharing of knowledge, offering a workshop, a lecture, and discussion on any chosen topic. Expect to see skills both special and completely mundane, academic insight, art experiments, and methods for resisting the pressure of the system. Take part in the organization, join the discussion or just let yourself be inspired by what happens. If you have any questions on the topic, don’t hesitate to contact us on our social networks.
Thanks!
Galerie AMU for the space, production, and financial support.
Vít Bohal for the translation.
Žofia Fodorová a Šimon Vlasák for the graphic design of the event.
Ondřej Konrád for technical support.
Galerie Světova 1 for lending us titles for the queer library.
All the performers, artists and communities, and all those supporting the activities of Plusko collective.
NO ONE IS FREE, UNLESS WE ARE ALL FREE
Pluskolektiv+
www.pluskolektiv.cz
@pluskolektiv
