Futures East

The starting point is a thesis by social scientist Naika Foroutan from 2020: Just as post-migrant communities relate to their origins and experiences, the post-reunification generations of East German parents could also develop new forms of identification with the GDR. What was formulated theoretically back then is now increasingly evident empirically.

"Post-East" positions currently oscillate between Ostalgie (nostalgia) and overidentification – from the Simson screwing to the right-wing slogan "East! East! East Germany!" – while simultaneously opening up spaces for critical reflection, critique of capitalism, and artistic appropriation. For many young people, the East is becoming a projection surface of the "systemic other."

Under the umbrella of FUTURES EAST, the Volksbühne presents a wide range of German and international artistic and theoretical contributions that explore these post-socialist perspectives.


Program Overview

6 p.m. – Opening throughout the theater
A diverse discussion, film, and performance program will begin simultaneously in the Red and Green Salons, the Sternfoyer, and the Umgangen (Halls).

8 p.m. – Main Theater
Two prominent panels will open the main evening debate:

Panel 1 (Moderated by Sebastian Kaiser): Das Gefühl Ost (The Feeling East) with Naika Foroutan, Laura Laabs, Judith Rinklebe (Possi Zine), Lydia Lierke, and Marc Ferch

Panel 2 (Moderated by Zoran Terzić): Non-Aligned: On the Internationalization of the Future with Luise Meier, Boris Buden, and others

10:30 p.m. – Round Tables
After the panels, open discussion spaces will be set up at the four exits of the theater. Visitors will discuss topics such as Eastern identity, feminism, post-socialist timelines, and international perspectives with experts. The goal is to develop an "East Futurism."

These roundtable discussions will continue throughout the 2025/26 season. The collected results will culminate in a catalog of East Futurist theses, which will be symbolically "nailed" in front of the theater in June 2026.

Music from 10:30 p.m. – Kantine Kafana
With Rudi Mahall (bass clarinet) and Zoran Terzić (piano).


Special Format

A single ticket allows access to all events and discussions. Seating is not guaranteed; free movement within the theater is expressly encouraged.

Upon leaving the theater, former recipients of the welcome money are invited to pay a €50 farewell money – to "regain their dignity." The amount can be donated to specific purposes:
to the establishment of a training center for critical wessiness, to the German Federal Government, to forma_te e.V., the NSU Documentation Center Chemnitz, or to Pi Radio (88.4 MHz). Historical conversion rates (East German Mark / Deutsche Mark / Euro) have been taken into account.


Curatorial Team

• Leonie Jenning, Sebastian Kaiser, and Zoran Terzić
  

Contributors (selection)

Boris Buden, Nadja Buttendorf, Naika Foroutan, Marc Ferch, Andrej Holm, Anna Herms, Leonie Jenning, Sebastian Kaiser, Laura Laabs, Astrid Landero, Leon Meschede, Luise Meier, Possi Zine (Judith Rinklebe & Seline Seidler), Lydia Lierke, Akira Schroth, Annette Simon, Zoran Terzić, Anna Zett, and many others.