Blitz Bazar & Galerie

 

My first stop on my field study was the Blitz Bazar & Galerie, around the Hôtel de Ville/Croix-Rousse area. I had walked this area time and time and again, yet have never made my way into this particular area. Some of my favorite coffee shops, restaurants, and art galleries can be found nearby, so I was thrilled to discover more. Going into this experience with an analytical eye, I was immediately scoping out the connection this store had with the LGBTQIA+ community. When first approaching Blitz Bazar, it seems like a hip store that sells little trinkets, not necessarily in association with the community. Outside on display, you’ll find funky plates and glassware, pitchers shaped like lemons, a vase shaped like a butt, and more items in the similar realm. There are lots of colors everywhere, and it is clear that the store supports local and independent artists with creative and colorful eyes. One thing I immediately noticed about the outdoor decal was that there were no pride flags or any symbols that directly tied this store to be a dedicated space for the LGBTQIA+ community.

Walking in with a first glance, I continued to notice various trinkets such as stickers, posters, plates, jewelry, vases, pins, etc., all in various shapes and colors. It was then when I began to notice that all around the store were figurines in the shape of very muscular men, who wore pretty sexual attire. There were figurines of men in jockstraps, stripping their clothes, wrapped in towels, and more of the variety. They were all described as “bears” which is a classifying term in the gay community, commonly used to sexually categorize and describe gay men who are physically built and hairy. Around the store, I found many posters, art prints, books, and magazines that highlighted gay relationships. I first picked up “BUTT” magazine, which is a magazine directly described as “a magazine for homosexuals”. This magazine is dedicated to sharing queer stories and featuring gay relationships and most commonly uses photos of naked men. Most if not all of the photos were tied to sex. The book that I picked up (which gave very strong Robert Mapplethorpe vibes) was similar. Every page featured queer individuals (mostly men) in various poses, either by themselves or with partner(s), continuing to visualize the sexual experience and liberation of queerness. 

There are many ways in which art like this serves the LGBTQIA+ community. It alludes to sexual freedom and queer liberation, and is able to tell a lot of stories of LGBTQIA+ history through photo documentation. That being said, these were the only aspects and items in the store that I found directly tied to the community. Firstly, they primarily only focused on gay men. In none of the work that I looked at did I find much representation of the diversity within queer individuals. Granted I did not look at everything, I did pick up what was primarily on display. By only focusing on the sexual intimacies of gay men, the works felt dismissive of other members of the community and felt, in a way, oversexualizing since they were only looking at gay men through a sexual lens (which isn’t uncommon). This brought to mind our class discussions where we mentioned the underrepresentation of lesbian stories, yet using them as vessels to portray homosexuality. However, the art was beautifully composed and I did learn a lot through reading some of the articles in the magazine. It is always nice to see queer representation, and it was also nice to know that places like this exist around Lyon. 

In comparison to the US, I feel like this particular location can be pretty commonly found there as well. A lot of the artwork felt similar to some that I have seen in America, but I also believe that the ambience of places that would carry similar inventory would be different.

In conclusion, visiting Blitz Bazar & Galerie did bring up points that I believe would make interesting class discussions, specifically centering around the question if whether or not being gay and part of the LGBTQIA+ community is commonly oversexualized. I would definitely recommend checking this place out! Especially if you are a lover of funky furniture and appliances.