[image]
[title]Tokyo Rainbow Pride isn’t the only LGBTQ+ festival hitting the city this spring. Tokyo has also seen the inaugural Q(WE)R festival, held from April 28 through May 6. Founded by independent curators Shai Ohayon (director of The Container) and Isabelle Olivier, Q(WE)R is an international culture festival that aims to empower the next generation of artists and activists while expanding the local LGBTQ+ scene.
In an exclusive interview with Time Out Tokyo, Ohayon and Olivier talked about their vision for this bold new initiative and what inspired them to start Q(WE)R. You can read the full interview on our Japanese sister site here or see some of the key details below.
Time Out Tokyo is a media partner of the Q(WE)R festival.
Catalysing increased awareness through art
What distinguishes Q(WE)R’s programme from the annual Tokyo Rainbow Pride is its emphasis on art and culture. Ohayon and Olivier see art as a catalyst for education and a means to encourage those who aren’t familiar with the LGBTQ+ community to engage with the movement in a social context.
As well as a series of parties and soirees, this year’s Q(WE)R festival programme is chock full of exhibitions, film screenings and performances to foster local engagement through a creative approach.
A festival for everyone
The title ‘Q(WE)R’ was chosen because the organisers felt it best communicated their core value of inclusivity. As Ohayon notes, some non-binary and gender fluid people feel more comfortable with identifying as queer instead of LGBTQ+ because the former is regarded as an all-encompassing umbrella term.
While one of the festival’s main goals is to support the local queer community, Ohayon and Olivier also wanted to have room for exploring topics such as feminism and racial discrimination. By opening the festival to those who don’t strictly identify as LGBTQ+, Q(WE)R ensures that no minority group is left out in a programme that celebrates diversity in all its forms.
Moving beyond Nichome
Though the district of Shinjuku Nichome is often seen as the central hub for the local LGBTQ+ scene, Q(WE)R is looking to shake things up by bringing some of the district’s most popular events to venues outside of Nichome, such as Shibuya’s Parco and Trunk Hotel. This will create more opportunities for Tokyoites who don’t frequent the Nichome district to encounter Tokyo’s LGBTQ+ culture.
Q(WE)R festival events are happening now and will run through May 6. For more information, you can visit the festival’s website.