Queer auf dem Land – Being Yourself, Belonging, and Living Freely

Documentary photography by Sareh Oveysi | Bad Belzig, Brandenburg

What does it mean to be yourself where you live? Can you love, make choices, and feel that you belong without hiding a part of who you are?

These questions are at the heart of my photography project Queer auf dem Land (Queer Life in the Countryside), which explores queer life in rural Brandenburg through portraits and personal encounters.

For the project, I photographed queer people in and around Bad Belzig and the Fläming region. The work grew from my interest in the relationship between people, identity, freedom, and the places they call home.

The exhibition in Bad Belzig

On 19 September 2026, ten photographs from the series were presented at the CSD Bad Belzig on the town's market square. The exhibition was organised in cooperation with CSD Bad Belzig, with support from Bündnis 90/Die Grünen in Potsdam-Mittelmark.

The photographs show the diversity of queer life in the Fläming region. Some are in black and white, but the absence of colour does not make the stories any less diverse. Instead, it draws attention to the people themselves: their expressions, gestures, relationships, and presence.

For me, the exhibition was an opportunity to bring these stories into a shared public space and make queer life visible as part of everyday life in a rural community.

More than identity: the right to belong

For me, this project is not only about how people define their identities. It is also about whether they can live freely in the places where they grew up, work, build relationships, and make a home.

In rural areas, people often live in closer proximity to one another. Neighbours know each other, social relationships can be deeply connected, and the feeling of being observed can become particularly strong. For queer people, this can influence how freely they express themselves and how safe they feel being visible.

But rural life is not defined by one experience. It can also offer connection, friendship, solidarity, and a strong sense of belonging.

I wanted to approach the people in this project not as outsiders, but as individuals whose lives are part of the diversity of their communities. Their stories are about more than sexuality or identity. They are also about everyday life, intimacy, loneliness, relationships, courage, and the freedom to make personal choices.

Do we have to leave a place in order to be ourselves? Or can we live freely in the very place we call home?

These questions remain open, but they are important to ask.

From exhibition to a photo book

The exhibition in Bad Belzig is an important step, but I would like to take this project further.

My next goal is to develop Queer auf dem Land into a photo book that brings together portraits and personal stories from queer people living in rural Brandenburg. I want to create space for their own voices and experiences, allowing readers to encounter the people behind the photographs more closely.

A book would also make it possible to preserve these stories beyond a single exhibition and reach people in other towns and rural communities.

I am currently exploring opportunities for funding, collaboration, and support to develop this next stage of the project. I expect the process to take approximately six months, including further conversations, photography, writing, editing, and book production.

I hope the project can contribute to a more open conversation about queer life in the countryside, while creating a lasting record of the people and experiences that make up these communities.

A place where everyone can be themselves

For me, photography is a way of coming closer to people and creating space for stories that are not always heard. It can help us look beyond assumptions and recognise the person in front of us.

Belonging should not require someone to hide, change, or explain away an essential part of themselves.

Every person deserves a place where they can live openly, feel accepted, and be themselves.

That is the thought I want to carry forward with Queer auf dem Land.

About the artist

Sareh Oveysi is a photographer, visual artist, media producer, and filmmaker based in Brandenburg, Germany. Her documentary work explores human stories, identity, freedom, and the experiences of people whose voices are often overlooked.

Website: www.sarehphotography.com

Cooperation and support

The exhibition at CSD Bad Belzig was realised in cooperation with CSD Bad Belzig https://csd-belzig.de/ausstellung/, with support from Bündnis 90/Die Grünen in Potsdam-Mittelmark.

If you are interested in supporting, collaborating on, or learning more about the planned photo book, please get in touch via my website.