Rainbow Exodus

One man’s journey to break free from the confines of his conservative upbringing.

Synopsis

Rainbow Exodus premiered at our Farm Center in 2022, at a moment when “LGBT-free zones” were appearing across municipalities and regions of Poland — public declarations that LGBTQ+ people were unwelcome. From this charged landscape emerges one man’s journey to break free from the confines of his conservative upbringing, setting out from his homeland in search of a place where he can live openly and wholly, without hiding.

Artist Statement

“In the recent uneasy years, even stronger than before, our world has experienced another Exodus, the rainbow exodus of queer folks from their home countries — like in the instance of me and my country — Poland. My performance Rainbow Exodus is not only a performance, it is my personal fight and rebellion, it is my celebration and my dance. Created together with my life partner, Travis Coe, it is a testimony of our lives, gay lives, and our love that can never be erased from history.”

— Karol Matuszak, Creator and Performer

Text Sources

Text inspired by queer letters and novels from: Frédéric Chopin’s love letters to Tytus Woyciechowski; Damned Strong Love: The True Story of Willi G. and Stefan K. by Lutz van Dijk; Swimming in the Dark by Tomasz Jedrowski; Who Killed My Father by Édouard Louis; Boy Erased by Garrard Conley.