Brain Bites: Queer Night, Queer Space
- Date
- 1 October 2026
- Time
- 12:30 -13:00
- Location
- University Library
- Room
- The Salon
In this edition of Brain Bites, curated by VOX-POP, Serkan Kasapoğlu introduces us to the Huysuz Show. Hosted by a drag artist, this popular Turkish live nighttime show was watched by audiences across the country and topped television ratings. Serkan will explore how the Huysuz Show introduced many different audiences to alternative possibilities: alternative ways of expression and belonging. Through this example, Serkan argues that queerness and nightlife are historically inseparable: both queerness and nightlife depart from the norms of ordinary space and ordinary time. Join us for a conversation on how queer culture can shape what the night can be.
Programme
12:15: Doors open
12:30: Introduction by Alina Tomescu
12:35: Mini lecture by Serkan Kasapoğlu
12:45: Q&A with Serkan & Alina
13:00: End of programme
The programme is free of charge, but we do ask you to register because of catering. The event is in English and lasts 30 minutes.
Speakers
Serkan Kasapoğlu holds two Master's degrees from the UvA in Media Studies and Arts & Culture. His work explores the intersections of culture, society, and politics, with a focus on representation and censorship. His upcoming publication, “Censoring Huysuz: Drag on Turkish TV and Infringement of Cultural Expression,” will appear in The Routledge Companion to Drag Studies. At the moment he’s working on a digital archive of Turkish queer art and media heritage, to be disseminated in Turkish diaspora neighbourhoods in The Netherlands, to help queer those spaces, funded by Tim Meijerink Fonds.
With 10+ years of professional experience in urban development, heritage revitalisation, and policy development, Alina Tomescu (they/them) has spent the last five years dedicating their attention to the academic study of cultural and spatial issues pertaining to nightlife in Amsterdam, as a member of Amsterdance, a research group hosted by the Amsterdam School of Cultural Analysis specializing in Electronic Dance Music research. Alina’s research focuses on the integration of club culture and electronic music within cultural infrastructures — including museums, heritage discourses, policies, and subsidies. They are also the initiator of a queer party series, and serve as financial director of the Night Mayor Foundation in Amsterdam.
