TRAUMA PRESENTS JMSN AND THELONIOUS STOKES

The collaboration follows TRAUMA’s approach of developing interdisciplinary projects that break with conventional formats and forge unexpected connections between sound, image, and movement. At the same time, the evening marks Thelonious Stokes’ first performance in Germany.

In their constantly evolving practices, their charged, almost theatrical forms of expression blur the boundary between image and embodiment while simultaneously questioning collective notions of representation and meaning. Both are dedicated to radical self-renewal as a form of subversion that gently shifts familiar systems of order and creates space for critical reflection. It is a special opportunity to experience two distinct artistic voices at Silent Green, the former crematorium chapel in Berlin, both of which engage with shifting forms of identity.

JMSN hails from Detroit, Michigan, and is a musician, producer, and artist. He is known for his unforgettable live performances, his distinctive sound, and his self-directed, powerful visual worlds. Following a world tour with 100 concerts in support of the album “Soft Spot,” its spirit and energy have resonated deeply with both the industry and audiences, garnering widespread acclaim, including viral buzz for standout tracks such as “Soft Spot,” “Love Me,” and “Cherry Pop.”

This intensity meets THELONIOUS STOKES’ contemporary performance practice, which explores the relationship between body, history, and space. At the heart of Stokes’ work is an examination of “Blackness” as an object that dissolves the veil of gravitational order and functions not only as identity but as an atmospheric presence that calibrates perception, time, and spatial logic.

ABOUT TRAUMA

Founded in 2018, TRAUMA has built a reputation for interdisciplinary projects that challenge conventional art formats and facilitate collaborative works at the intersection of visual art, music, and performance. The platform deliberately challenges established hierarchies in the art world by translating subcultural, youth-driven, and often marginalized practices into new contexts that would otherwise be easily exoticized or devalued. After seven years of programming at Heidestraße in Berlin, TRAUMA 2024 has evolved into a nomadic curatorial platform. Beyond Germany, it increasingly functions as an international catalyst and conceptual infrastructure that adapts to specific locations and facilitates experimental, often ephemeral encounters.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

JMSN is one of the most sought-after performers and producers in the music industry internationally. Over a career spanning more than a decade, he has released eight studio albums and two live albums. As a defining DIY figure, he represents a movement that empowers independent artists to forge their own paths in the music industry, regardless of external circumstances. He has received recognition from luminaries such as Usher and Thomas McClary, founding member of the Commodores. He has also collaborated with artists including Kendrick Lamar, Mac Miller, J. Cole, The Game, Tyga, Ab-Soul, Kaytranada, Sada Baby, Sango, Ta-ku, and Freddie Gibbs.

THELONIOUS STOKES (b. 1995) is a contemporary artist working in the fields of painting, performance, and design. With a disciplined and reflective approach, Stokes creates works that transcend mere spectacle, conceiving the body as both a witness and a medium for an ever-shifting relationship between art and society. His performances and visual worlds explore “Blackness” as a field of intensity: as pressure, as a point of rupture, and as an opportunity to rethink how bodies move through the world.