Back in 1774, many years before the term LGBTIQ+ had been coined, it was the Grand Master who took the final decision on a person’s gender.

Centuries later, people within the LGBTIQ+ communities are still battling for their representation in society.

But an exhibition is attempting to challenge long-held perceptions by unpacking the complex debates on masculinities from a queer standpoint through the work of 13 international artists.

The exhibition, Tender and Masculine, is curated by Maltese and London-based interdisciplinary artist Romeo Roxman Gatt and interdisciplinary artist and filmmaker Charlie Cauchi, and is the culmination of a year-long project Rosa Kwir, supported by Arts Council Malta and The Melita Foundation.

Rosa Kwir is inspired by the story of Rosa Mifsud, a 17-year-old intersex person who had petitioned for a change in sex from female to male in the 18th century.

Another exhibit at the 'Tender and Masculine' exhibition.

From then on, Mifsud could only wear male clothing

The court at the time had appointed two physicians to perform an examination, which concluded that the male sex was the dominant one. The grand master at the time decided that, from then on, Mifsud could only wear male clothing.

Gatt said that growing up, the lack of role models made him feel very alone and invisible. "I wish my teachers taught me about people like Rosa Mifsud when I was in school.”

Challenged by society’s limitations, Gatt and Cauchi set up Rosa Kwir in 2021 to research, archive, document and highlight not only contemporary queer communities but also those whose stories were erased throughout history because they were deemed “sinners”, “sick”, “inferior” or “freaks”.

The aim is to celebrate the stories of trans men, non-binary, LBQI people and their stories through art.

Besides the archive, Rosa Kwir also hosts several events, Tender and Masculine being the latest one and the first to be hosted in a gallery. Each of the 13 participating artists uses different mediums to comment on notions of masculinity.

Cauchi said that pairing "masculine" with "tender’" provoked a more nuanced and gentler approach to masculinity.