Disss-co (A Fragment)

Douglas Crimp (b. 1944 in Coeur d'Alene, USA; d. 2019 in New York, USA) was one of the most influential art critics, curators and AIDS activists of his time. His writings on representations and critique are still untouched milestones in the discussion of AIDS and queer identities. In his pioneering work on queer aesthetics and the New York underground scene of the 1970s, the essay "Disss-co (A Fragment)" marks a fundamental point of view that, with a view to the repression of subculture - due to sexuality and origin - still has unbroken relevance today.

Henrik Olesen (born 1967) deals with sexual-political issues in his work. In this publication, he shows excerpts from the project Lack of Information, 2001. Arranged in a grid, the work presents a map of different laws worldwide that are directed against gays, lesbians and transgender people. In addition to statistics on hate crimes, it clarifies, among other things, the criminalisation of gay sex, the migration and adoption rights of homosexuals, and the prevalence of same-sex behaviour in some animal species.

KONTEXT, a series by DISTANZ Verlag, brings artists and authors together. With new texts, the republication of essays or more experimental genres, the publication series looks at and comments on current issues in our society in a dialogue between text and contemporary art.