“We want to find common ground”

From 11 to 27 June 2026, the feminist art festival KIN will take place in Zurich for the first time. It is being led by the author, curator and activist Marah Rikli. She works on inclusion, equality and social change, and combines art with social issues in her work. In this interview, she explains how the idea for the festival came about and what she hopes to achieve with it.

What does ‘KIN’ mean to you?

‘Kin’ can mean companions, relatives or those who belong to a group, but it also stands for care and compassion. In the queer-feminist context, the term is frequently used, for example in the work of the scholar Donna Haraway, who has shaped these concepts.

Why did you choose this name?

We chose ‘Kinship’ because the term needs more attention again in the times we live in. Isolation and exhaustion are taking their toll on many people and making them ill. Moreover, we talk little about what unites and strengthens people, but all the more about division – even within feminist movements.

For me, however, it is about seeking out what we have in common again, despite our differences, and strengthening our connections. Resistance and struggle are very important and necessary. With this festival, we want to create a space that also gives us the strength to do so. We talk, for example, about utopias, about relationships, about bodies, illnesses and disabilities. We offer ideas on how we can reconnect with one another. And what art can contribute to this. The positive narrative is important to us.

Who is ‘we’?

I often represent KIN to the outside world because I have overall responsibility – but a project like this can only be achieved collectively. I started out with Vladislava Savic, a wonderful artist who is now also exhibiting at the KIN Festival. We met a few years ago and talked about how we both share a desire to make FLINTA* perspectives more visible in art and culture. At the same time, it became clear how difficult it is to secure a platform – and how topics such as motherhood, queerness, disability or care are often marginalised.

This idea first gave rise to an art exhibition – and from that, the festival. I have already worked with most of those involved. Among those taking part are the curator and artist Kira van Eijsden, the artist Nikki Böhler and the media professional Gabrielle Alvarez-Hummel. So ‘we’ are a network of people who bring their different skills and perspectives together and support one another.

What role should the audience play at the festival?

The exhibition, featuring around 20 FLINTA* individuals, is deliberately not designed in the style of a museum – you don’t just go there and look. We are operating in a space where people can get involved: with a participatory table, discussions, and art that can also be touched. It is also very important to us that people with visible and invisible disabilities are part of the festival – without having to explain their diagnosis. The programme includes, among other things, a ‘Crip get-together’, a guided tour of the art exhibition in Swiss German Sign Language, and an ‘Unmasking Workshop’ for people with neurodivergence. We will also soon be launching a podcast featuring live recordings, among other things, so that participation is possible even without being physically present. The aim is to foster encounters, to get to know one another and to build lasting connections from these interactions.

The festival takes place around the time of the feminist strike day. Why exactly then?

The feminist strike takes place mainly on 14 June, but a great deal is crammed into that single day. The media are often dismissive; the event is played down, and it’s all over before you know it. With the festival, we want to give the issues of the strike more space and explore them in greater depth. We are creating a space before, during and after the strike where people can stay in the spirit of 14 June and keep the conversation going – not just for a single day.

What happens after the festival?

We’re still in the middle of the process. We’d obviously love to organise another edition of KIN – but the financial situation in Switzerland makes it challenging to run events of this kind. Especially as we operate on an inclusive basis. So far, we have secured support for this edition from the City of Zurich, Swisslos and the Denk an mich Foundation. Nevertheless, we remain dependent on donations and grants.

What is clear is that there will be a few more individual events under the festival’s name, initially on an ad hoc basis. Should we decide to run the festival again, it would likely be every three years. An annual festival would be nice, but it isn’t financially feasible at the moment.

The KIN Festival brings together a diverse range of perspectives and artistic approaches in an exhibition – from film, drawing, painting and photography to textiles, installation and performance, right through to participatory formats.

The exhibition is accompanied by events at various venues across the city of Zurich. The programme includes talks, concerts, theatre, parties, readings and performances. The festival aims not only to entertain, but also to create a space for exchange – between artists, the audience and different perspectives.