Conversation: Mads Ananda Lodahl & Khaled Alesmael.
Meet writer Mads Ananda Lodahl and former journalist and author Khaled Alesmael in a dialogue about sauna and gay culture. The two authors take us on a subcultural journey from Syria to Copenhagen. Drawing on their own artistic practices and personal experiences, they explore sauna culture from secret gay communities in hammams to closed sauna clubs in inner Copenhagen. They look at how queer lives are lived, hidden, shaped and unfolded in different cultural contexts — from the underground to the visible, from the vulnerable to the liberating.
The conversation revolves around migration, identity and sexuality, but also about the spaces and subcultures in which alternative communities emerge and survive. The sauna here serves as both a concrete place and a cultural phenomenon: a space of intimacy, anonymity, care and politically charged cohesion.
The event invites the audience into an open and reflective conversation about the diversity of queer culture, its stories and significance today.
The conversation is in English.
Davids Samling is an art museum located in the heart of Copenhagen. The museum houses one of the grandest collections of art from the Islamic world in the West, as well as an outstanding selection of older European art and an exquisite representation of recent Danish painting, sculpture and ceramics. The museum offers a unique museum experience where visitors can immerse themselves in the works of art and the many stories they tell.
David's Collection is noted for its extensive collection of arts and crafts from the Islamic world, spanning from Spain in the west to India in the east and covering the period from the 7th to the 19th centuries. The collection is the largest of its kind in Scandinavia and among the ten most significant in the Western world. The museum also presents older European art from the 17th to 19th centuries, including furniture, ceramics and paintings from well-known artists.
In addition to the large and impressive collections, the museum also houses special exhibitions. David's Collection offers guided tours every Wednesday and on weekends where visitors can learn more about the art and its history. Visitors can plan their visit by finding opening hours, location and other practical information on the museum's website, and can have great