Urning & Urningin. Language and Desire Since 1864
Nest•Jan 09, 2026 — Apr 05, 2026
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Love and desire between people of the same sex have existed throughout history. For centuries, there was no language to name these desires– except in medical and legal terms that defined them as illness or crime.
This began to change thanks to Karl Heinrich Ulrichs (1825–1895), a German lawyer who was the first to describe same- sex desire as an identity category. Ulrichs conducted extensive research into what he called ‘uranism’, built a network of scholars around it, and argued that queer desire should be recognised as something innate rather than criminal. With his own vocabulary for queer people, he articulated queer identity long before words such as homosexual, gay, or queer existed.
Ulrichs’ legacy forms the starting point for the exhibition Urning and Urningin. Language and Desire since 1864. The title refers to Ulrichs’ positive description for himself and others with queer desire: Urning and Urningin. He used these words publicly for the first time in his ser…
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Urning & Urningin. Language and Desire Since 1864
Nest•Jan 09, 2026 — Apr 05, 2026
Press Release
Love and desire between people of the same sex have existed throughout history. For centuries, there was no language to name these desires– except in medical and legal terms that defined them as illness or crime.
This began to change thanks to Karl Heinrich Ulrichs (1825–1895), a German lawyer who was the first to describe same- sex desire as an identity category. Ulrichs conducted extensive research into what he called ‘uranism’, built a network of scholars around it, and argued that queer desire should be recognised as something innate rather than criminal. With his own vocabulary for queer people, he articulated queer identity long before words such as homosexual, gay, or queer existed.
Ulrichs’ legacy forms the starting point for the exhibition Urning and Urningin. Language and Desire since 1864. The title refers to Ulrichs’ positive description for himself and others with queer desire: Urning and Urningin. He used these words publicly for the first time in his ser…
