Queertropolis

Welcome to Queertropolis

...an immersive, collective art ecosystem and temporary sanctuary built on the principles of radical inclusion, care, and universal coexistence. Happening in Amsterdam during World Pride 2026, this project challenges the traditional concept of the passive spectator, transforming every visitor into an active citizen of a shared utopian city-in-the-leaves.

Queertropolis is not just a space to explore, but a human and artistic habitat to be inhabited and governed together. It is an open invitation to demonstrate that the tools developed by the queer community for survival, mutual support, and regeneration can become a universal model for global harmony. Here, the boundaries of identity dissolve into a collective push toward a more just and interconnected future.

THE COLLECTIVE EXPERIENCE

• The Bureau of Identity & ID Cards: Upon crossing the threshold of Queertropolis, visitors can claim their official ID Card. It stands as a symbolic passport that celebrates the plurality of our existences and marks their official citizenship in this utopian community.

• The Living Map: The geography of our sanctuary takes visible shape through a monumental, ever-evolving cartographic installation. Interweaving personal stories, organic fibers, and ecological materials, visitors actively draw the ideal borders of our shared space.

• Daily Governance & The Mayor: Because every visionary city needs a guide, citizens are called upon to cast their voice in nominating and electing the town mayor, participating first-hand in the daily ethics and social priorities of the project.

A Reason to Celebrate - Sher Silva

spectrum - Robert Beekelaar

Inmutable - Marcela Perrusquia.

The Digital Expo: A Global Window

Opening July 1st | 24/7 Window Exhibition at Treehouse NDSM (East Side)

Before the physical gates of our sanctuary open, Queertropolis will begin to colonize the urban landscape of Amsterdam, transforming the large window on the east side of Treehouse NDSM into a sanctuary open day and night. Facing the vibrant grounds used for summer festivals, markets, and community events, this space will become a continuous visual beacon starting July 1st. Inside the window, a dedicated screen will screen digital artworks and artist contacts in a 24/7 loop, letting the light of global queer utopias burn through Amsterdam’s days and nights.

The response to our digital open call was overwhelming, weaving together voices, vulnerabilities, and dreams from every corner of the planet. We won't reveal the full atlas of this global map just yet—some wonders simply demand to be experienced in person, caught in passing between a festival crowd and a stroll through the market—but we want to offer you an exclusive first glimpse into the global citizens igniting our window to the world:

The journey crosses borders and disciplines, starting with the vibrant, playful pop world of Zun. / Henteko Land. Direct from Japan, he brings We Are Here! (2025) to Queertropolis, showcasing a colorful ecosystem where diverse personalities coexist freely, reminding us that everyone deserves a safe place to be themselves. From this explosion of shared joy, we move into the delicate depth of Maria Komogortseva (Russia/Amsterdam). Their watercolor animation Homebound (2025) is a poetic documentary drifting between memory and nostalgia, exploring the inner search of three individuals redefining home and belonging within their own souls.

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Nationality

river & mountain - Marília Tourinho - Lianifire

A global digital takeover featuring artists spanning across 4 continents.

The digital transition then touches flesh and identity with the raw, powerful work of Leo Arcelay-Christiano (United States). In In Between Skin (2026), the artist navigates the emotional tensions of gender dysphoria and transformation as a transgender man, capturing the complex reality of embodiment and perception beyond the surface. Finally, the pulse of collective resistance breaks through the lens of cerradynho, an artist and curator from the Brazilian Midwest. Their photograph Ultraje (2017) celebrates the intersection of fashion and nightlife queer identities, standing as a visual manifesto for dignity, visibility, and the freedom to occupy public space in multiple forms.

These perspectives are just the first fragments of a much larger international mosaic. Starting July 1st, pause by the east window of Treehouse to witness the complete constellation: a global community proving that universal coexistence is not a distant utopia, but a reality shining bright in both daylight and darkness.

in between skin - leo arcelay - christiano

The Physical Exhibition: A Living Sanctuary

Opening July 24th – August 9th, 2026 | Treehouse NDSM (Pavilion)

Open everyday from 13:00 to 18:00 (extended hour during the events in the program)

On July 24th, the inner gates of Queertropolis will officially open, transforming the physical spaces of Treehouse NDSM into a living, breathing sanctuary built on the principles of radical care, memory, and material regeneration. If our digital window represents the global horizon, the physical exhibition is the ground beneath our feet, a shared human habitat where the boundaries between the artwork and the citizen entirely dissolve.

The physical space brings together an extraordinary lineup of Treehouse resident artists and international guests who explore what it means to find shelter, resist normativity, and co-create an ecosystem of belonging. Through a deeply tactile and multi-sensory landscape, Queertropolis challenges the traditional, passive gallery experience, inviting visitors into a world of active, shared governance.

Here, the collective narrative is stitched, molded, and forged through diverse mediums. The exhibition moves fluidly from the viscerally layered queer macabre zines of Cat Moran (Meat_daughter) to the intricate, hand-spun fiber aesthetics of Christopher Kale, whose textile work celebrates the uninvited beauty of life breaking through urban concrete. The raw, whimsical earthenware clay of Alda Lilja’s "Soft Touch" in powerful dialogue with the intimate, historic subculture figurines of outsider artist Mon Graffito.

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Artworks

María Escarpenter Martinez-Canavate

From artists resident in Treehouse, international artists, artists from Atelier Brut and part of the There was a time before Collective (MenAsWell)

Vulnerability becomes a monumental act of resistance. María Escarpenter challenges the rigid violence of the gender binary through a suspended watercolor self-portrait, while Thalea Sascha Albrecht confronts internalized queer shame through an intermedial pairing of oil painting and poetry. The political topography of cruising, trauma, and desire is radically mapped out through the participatory installations of Lis Walter and the Kassel-based duo Chiara Fehling & Thalea Albrecht, who invite the viewer to step directly into the frame.

Bodies in all their diverse, non-conforming glory are reclaimed through the bold ink drawings of Robert Beekelaar, contrasting beautifully with Tom Veldkamp’s unapologetic, kinky tapestries that subvert domestic craft. In an era of ecological crisis, sustainability and community engagement take center stage: Marcia (Arte Boa) transforms salvaged hardboard into striking graphic works, Babet Klaassen (Haus of Trout) merges textile art and photography to reimagine queer Amsterdammers as mythical sea monsters, and Cristina Iordache (Agga Concept) constructs a monumental, kinetic metal tunnel that sways like organic waves.

The entire ecosystem is activated through a constant tension between the organic and the artificial, a theme deeply rooted in the multidisciplinary, sustainable practice of artist and curator Gabriele Bonomi, and through the theatrical, seductive language of Raffaella Allegra’s RAVAGE, a grand installation activated by a live performance choreographed by Sophie Gisbertz that drags the domestic realms of consumer excess straight into the public light.

nObservations of the Unnatural World - Christopher kale

With the special participation of Norbert, Floris, and Michael from Atelier Brut, alongside artists from the There Was A Time Before Collective, Queertropolis is more than an exhibition. It is a temporary utopian ecosystem proving that mutual support, visibility, and creative resilience are not just survival tools, but a universal blueprint for a softer, more interconnected future.

Inhabit the Utopia: Our Communal Program

A city is not defined by its walls, but by the rituals of the people who inhabit it. For the two weeks of Queertropolis, we asked our artists to push their practices beyond the limits of individual creation, challenging them to use art as a radical tool for community-building, healing, and universal acceptance.

The response was a breathtaking, generous outpouring of shared experiences. What manifested is a vibrant constellation of hands-on workshops, communal dinners, intimate talks, and raw live performances. This collective calendar will ignite on our official opening night on July 24th and will carry the flame of our sanctuary all the way through the end of World Pride.

This is our collective heartbeat. These are the moments where we don't just look at art, we live it, together.

Gabriele Bonomi

Crafting connections through sustainable artistic experiences.

© 2025. All rights reserved.