About Queer Gaze

In 2023, Oceanen launched its very first literary program series, The Queer Gaze, which in 2024 received Nöjesguiden’s Gothenburg Award in the Club of the Year category. The Queer Gaze will make its final year as part of Oceanen’s stage program in 2025.

During the last two years Oceanen has invited queer authors and poets to curate an evening based on a theme. The term “The Male Gaze” was coined by Laura Mulvey to describe a perspective that views women as objects of heterosexual male pleasure. In response, “The Female Gaze” emerged as a way to disrupt this dynamic and position women as the observers. With the program series The Queer Gaze, Oceanen expands upon these concepts, using the queer gaze to deconstruct all gender-based power dynamics, allowing authors to act as subjects and share their stories on their own terms.

In 2025 the series will continue featuring guest curators from various parts of the world albeit with a Nordic focus.

14/2 – The Queer Gaze curated by: Sanna Samuelsson

Our first evening of the season will be on Valentine’s day! Sanna Samuelsson is our guest curator with desire as a chosen theme. Along with invited guests, Sanna will talk, read and discuss what place desire, sex and eroticism have in a queer world and in queer litterature.

Sanna Samuelsson is an author and writer who debuted in 2023 with the novel Mjölkat, awarded with Prismapriset and Borås Tidnings Debutantpris. Sanna has previously organized the HBTQI literary event Lavendelläsningar and worked as an editor at GöteborgsPosten.

The Queer Gaze is back again in May and June! Additional information and details will be announced shortly.

A special thanks to:

The Queer Gaze is made possible this year with the support from the Swedish Arts Council, Svenska akademien and Göteborg stad.