Contemporary Perspectives. Exhibition opening as part of the thematic focus "Relationships, or Family

Relationships often form where there are no stable social structures or political protections. Nothing as Our Ground  is the title of the exhibition curated by Minh Duc Pham and Hai Nam Nguyen – a title that points to the realities of queer and migrant experiences. Contemporary photography, video, and installation works reveal how people live, across generations and borders, in ways that are diverse and sometimes contradictory, challenging traditional notions of family. The exhibition features works by Corç George Demir, Jaewon Kim, Su-Ran Sichling, Nhu Xuan Hua, Iden Sungyoung Kim, Sunil Gupta, Cheryl Mukherji, Vuth Lyno, Leonard Suryajaya, Sarnt Utamachote, and Rana Nazzal Hamadeh.

The exhibition Making Kin brings together artists from nine countries whose works share a decolonial perspective on marginalized forms of knowledge and relationships. We are all embedded in dynamic webs of relation – with other humans, animals, plants, spirits, the cosmos – and even with our office chairs. Making Kin is curated by Kerstin Pinther and Ute Marxreiter, Ethnological Museum / Museum of Asian Art Berlin, and features works by Catherine Blackburn, Aziza Kadyri, Mae-ling Lokko, Meryl McMaster, Caroline Monnet, Katja Novitskova, Soe Yu Nwe, Odun Orimolade, Judith Raum, Cara Romero, Zina Saro-Wiwa, and Haegue Yang.

“How deeply does the state intervene in private life?” is the question posed by the exhibition All Under Heaven. It focuses on the tension between family and state in 20th-century China and Korea – between ideology, care, and control. The exhibition is curated by Maria Sobotka, co-curated by Lu Tian, Museum of Asian Art Berlin, and presents works by He Chongyue, Mao Tongqiang, Jane Jin Kaisen, Mirae kate-hers Rhee, and Siren Eun Young Jung.

Fourteen monumental statues of Brandenburg electors from the 17th century are part of the permanent exhibition on the history of the site. However, only one half of the family was represented in this dynastic display – women were absent. The intervention Relevant to the System: Women in Ruling Families introduces four princesses from four centuries, positioning them alongside and in opposition to the sculptures. The installation sheds light on the different degrees of agency available to Hohenzollern women within the dynastic system.

Also present is filmmaker Marina Gning, whose documentary series on father-daughter relationships in Senegal has been on view on the ground floor since October.

18:00
The evening opens with a spoken word performance by AVRINA, followed by welcome remarks by Hartmut Dorgerloh, General Director of the Humboldt Forum, and Raffael Gadebusch, Head of the Museum of Asian Art. Minh Duc Pham, Hai Nam Nguyen, Kerstin Pinther, Ute Marxreiter, Maria Sobotka, Marina Gning, and Alfred Hagemann will introduce the exhibitions in brief conversations.

Following the opening on the 1st floor of the Stair Hall, curator and artist tours will take place in the respective exhibitions on the 3rd floor:

19:00–19:20
Nothing as Our Ground – Room 312
with Minh Duc Pham, Hai Nam Nguyen, Corç George Su-Ran Sichling and Cheryl Mukherji
Relevant to the System: Women in Ruling Families – Stair Hall, 3rd Floor
with Alfred Hagemann and Katja Gimpel

19:30–19:50
Making Kin – Room 304
with Kerstin Pinther, Ute Marxreiter, Soe Yu Nwe, Catherine Blackburn and Judith Raum
All Under Heaven – Room 319
with Maria Sobotka

The exhibitions can be visited free of charge during the opening.
Additional events and exhibition tours will take place on November 28.

Participants

அவ்ரீனா AVRINA (1992, Tamil Nadu) is a poet and fiction writer writing places, beings, and times. Obsessed with memories that pervade and evade, often of childhood, avrina’s writing is an ebb and flow characteristic of his desire for the sea. avrina’s story won the Short Fiction / University of Essex International Short Story Prize 2021 and works have been nominated, among others, for the CRAFT Short Fiction Prize, Indiana Review Fiction Prize, the Berlin Writing Prize, and the Desperate Literature Short Fiction Prize. avrina has read at/for Bangalore Literature Festival, Mathrubhumi International Festival of Letters Kerala, Prosanova Hildesheim, Academy of Arts Berlin, the LCB, Poesie Festival Berlin, Lovecrumbs Edinburgh, etc. apart from being published in Sinn und Form, The Bombay Literary Magazine, Stoff aus Luft, Kaalachuvadu, etc. avrina was a Literature Fellow of the city of Berlin in 2024.

Neda Sanai is a Sounddesigner, DJ and music producer based in Berlin. Their work approaches sound through a collective and queer mindset. They were a resident DJ for the ByteFM Female: Pressure radio show and hosted several shows at Berlin Community Radio under the DJ name Nedalot, where they showcase their ability to explore various sound spectrums and music from a dramaturgical perspective. Nedalot has gained recognition for their work, having opened for artists like DIPLO, A.G Cook, and Zebra Katz. They are also known for organising underground queer club nights in Berlin, where music, art, and politics intersect. Nedalot has collaborated as sounddesigner with several artists, including CocoRosie for their album “Grey Ocean”, Massimiliano Pagliara for their EP “Toxic Love”, DJ tINI for their debut album “Tessa” and Ebow’s album K4L.

Ana von Glasenapp aka. Kimberly Clark - DJ-Set is a lover of grooves, funky baselines and angelic melodies. As a cultural organizer and dramaturg by day, she selects from her vinyl collection with a performative, nerdy and intuitive eye, mixing Jazz, Soul, Funk, Hip Hop and many adjacent genres. 


- free of charge, no Ticket required
- Forum Café and exhibitions, 1st and 3th floor
- English, German
- Belongs to: Family Matters, Making Kin, Nothing as Our Ground, All Under Heaven, Relevant to the System: Women in Ruling Families, Père(s)-Fille(s)