Bärbel Bohley – „Manchmal ist Kunst abwesend…“

Uncomfortable, unwavering and inspiring, she led the way where others hesitated. The artist's flat in Prenzlauer Berg became a centre of the revolution, and as co-founder of the New Forum, she spoke from the heart of many people.

At the same time, she polarised opinion: for some she was a beacon of hope, for others she was politically naive – in any case, she remained consistently non-conformist and thus made the impossible possible. Bärbel Bohley's voice, her courage and her perseverance would be of great significance in today's debates on democracy, human rights and social responsibility.


The event honours her life and work, traces her role in the Peaceful Revolution and asks how her work continues to resonate today.

Programme

Welcome:

Rebecca Hernandez Garcia, Robert Havemann Society •
Hildigund Neubert, Citizens' Office for the Reappraisal of the Consequences of the SED Dictatorship

Reading from the collection of texts "Bärbel Bohley – Sometimes art is absent... A review of her life 1945 - 2010" compiled by Irena Kukutz and Tina Krone in cooperation with the Robert Havemann Society e. V.
Alexandra Finder, actress

Panel discussion with people who accompanied Bärbel Bohley on her journey through life:

• Ralf Hirsch, friend and supporter, former member of the Initiative for Peace and Human Rights, was expatriated from the GDR in 1988
  
• Irena Kukutz, long-time friend, co-founder of Women for Peace, fellow campaigner in the NEW FORUM
  
• Tina Krone, companion at Women for Peace, the NEW FORUM, archivist of B. Bohley's political estate, former archive director of the Robert Havemann Society e. V.
  

Moderator: Jaqueline Boysen, Federal Chancellor Helmut Kohl Foundation

Opportunity for exchange and conversation at a reception.

Musical accompaniment for the evening will be provided by cellist Karolin Spegg.

• Date: 11 September 2025, 6 p.m.
  
• Venue: ‘Haus 22’, Stasi Headquarters. Campus for Democracy, Ruschestraße 103, 10365 Berlin
  
• Transport connections: U5, Magdalenenstraße
  

(Language: German) 


The event is a collaboration between Bürgerbüro e.V. and the Robert Havemann Society.
The Robert Havemann Society is supported by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media and the Berlin Commissioner for the Reappraisal of the SED Dictatorship. The Bürgerbüro is supported by the Berlin Commissioner for the Reappraisal of the SED Dictatorship.