Queer Art and Radical Love with Zafira Vrba Woodski

This episode is in English. 
Please croll down for tips and links.

Welcome to SAQMI Play, the podcast that features queer artists, filmmakers and their work. This episode is a talk between the Swedish based artist, curator and educator Zafira Vrba Woodski and SAQMIs excellent moderator Sam Message.

The generous and funny conversation touched on several personal stories, thoughts and ideas such as Queer Love, Death, Sorrow, and Grief in the community of Trans people. What radical love can be and of course an insight into Zafira’s artistic work with moving images and reflections on the films that were shown during the event. Saqmi’s queer audience is really the best ever. So many brilliant questions were asked, and so much heartwarming love was shared. Even a lot of tears were shed during the evening both on the screen and among the guests. Thank you to everyone who attended and contributed to a fantastic evening. 

The conversation took place in the very packed headquarters of SAQMI in Majorna, Göteborg, 3 March 2025, and followed after the screening of Zafira’s films. The Nightfall event was curated by Anna Linder in collaboration with Zafira and included a selection of five videos between the years 2017-2021.

The conversation with Zafira Vrba Woodski and Sam Message followed Saqmi’s 17th edition of Nightfall – Queer Talks & Screenings – Zafira Vrba Woodski. You can read more about the event and the films on the site above.

Below is the program with all the titles that are mentioned in the podcast. 

Filmprogram – Zafira Vbra Woodski

Himlen är fejk (2017, 16:45 min)
On Animals and Cleaning (2019, 7 min)
Trans People Applauding (2021, 1:45 min)
I’m continuously crying tears of estrogen and tears of testosterone (2020, 5:30 min)
Death is My Pronoun (2020, 14 min)

Nightfall is a night of queer talks and screenings. Inviting artists to share and talk about their work and their process. Nightfall is both a showcase for finished work and a queer peer review for work in progress.

Zafira Vrba Woodski is a Czech-Swedish artist, curator, writer, Interfaith Minister and Death Doula based in Stockholm and Gothenburg. Zafira works with video, performance, sound, photography, text and pedagogy. Their work explores queer kinship, contemporary archeology and trans magic. Alongside their art, Zafira is an advocate for trans rights and accessible/non-ableist sex education and runs High Heel Funerals & Ceremonies, offering spiritual support and celebrations to the lgbtqia+ communities. 
Zafira is also a member of Punk Letters – a larger-than-life band that takes part in SAQMI series Queer Moving History. 

Sam Message (they) is an artist and a community organiser based in Gothenburg. In their work, they explores how art and culture can be used to weave new connections between peoples in order to build a more inclusive society and a more sustainable LGBTQI community.

Tips and Links:

Web Page for Zafira Vrba Woodski + @revzafira

High Heel Funerals & Ceremonies

Familjepodden – En podcast om queert föräldraskap.

OTTAR – Utan oss ingen framtid Text by Zafira Vrba Woodski.

Queerstory – Podcast from 2018 with .

Creativity is spirituality – Podcast from 2021, season 2, episode 7: Navigating the Intersections of Intersectionality with Zafira Vrba, Artist, Educator, Interfaith Minister-in-Training

Radio RFSL – Podcast från 2024 med Zafira som gäst.

Recension av utställningen Transtillstånd i Tidningen Ångermanland. Skriven av Katarina Östholm den 27 november 2021.

Recension av utställningen Transtillstånd i Smålandsposten. Skriven av Janna Li Holmberg den 23 april 2025.

Credits SAQMI Play:
Producer: Anna Linder
Design and code: Vincent Orback
Composer: Amanda Lindgren
Recorded by Kolbrún Inga Söring
Edited by Matilda Friman
Original: Nightfall #17, at SAQMI space Frigga, Gothenburg.
Publisher: Anna Linder

SAQMI Play is produced with support from City of Gothenburg.