IN MY NEXT LIFE I WILL REINCARNATE AS AN ARTIST
VIENNA I had just arrived and was dumping my bags at Hedda's place. Then we took off to the Academy of Fine Arts, where Hedda would have their diploma performance the next day. I was introduced to an art professor in the hall. I heard myself saying, “Do you know where the lesbians are?” She pointed at herself: “Here is one.”
We talked about definitions. She did not call herself a lesbian even if she thought it was an important word in a historical context. I asked where she went to meet other lesbians. It turns out she did not go anywhere. She just went out for dinner and drinks with friends. Then she rushed off to her next engagement. It took me a few days to understand her answer.
In the evening, we went to MuseumsQuartier to see some performances by art students. The place was vibrating with queer energy. Just breathing it felt liberating. Someone I thought was a man was a woman, and vice versa, or both. During my conversation with non-binary individuals, they expressed complete opposition to patriarchy and capitalism. I talked to men who loved to dance as a woman. I talked to women embracing their bodies and seeking alternative ways to find love outside of the heterosexual norm.
One could argue that this has been done before. Very few things are new under the sun. But this was what I witnessed in Vienna in June 2024, and I fell in love with it. To me, artists are like this unique sourdough that has no age. They are like a life vest for mankind. We need their eyes and ears. We need their work. In their company, I dived into a gender-fluid world and lived a never-ending pride. I wanted to take them all in my arms and protect them forever.
I finally understood why the professor didn’t have to go around Europe searching for lesbians like me. She was already living her life with them. The same goes for the artists. By living their lives, they have a queer take over every night wherever they go. I was taken by that luxury, and made a pact with God. If I have to come back and live on earth again, I wish to reincarnate as an artist in Vienna.
