Their Mouths Were Full of Bumblebees But It Was Me Who Was Pollinated

Have you been at the Barbican lately? Don’t skip this free exhibition.

‘Their mouths were full of bumblebees but it was me who was pollinated’ by Soufi Aneababri explores questions of desire, queerness, and diaspora. An amazing discovery unifying drawing, performance (which, sadly, I missed) and installation.

Sensual, real, intimate, closeness, erotic, natural, evocative, and even fun I would say when it comes to the aesthetics and the exhibition setting. But the root of this exhibition goes way deep, highlighting how The Curve’s shape (this gallery is called like that) reflects the Arabic letter Zayin, the first letter of the word “zamel”, a derogatory term for gay men in Morocco.

That word evolutions from originally meaning close friend shows how homophobia threatens not only same-sex sexuality, but restricts the possibility of radical forms of friendship.

I love those minimal details of interpretation that create a powerful and meaningful exhibition. The colour red not only empowering sensuality but also the national colour, establishing the narrative on the architecture as a way of imposing himself as queer and in the diaspora, challenging the language, etc. The reclamation was real.