FLINTA* KULTUR SALON #4

How can artistic creation help to advance discussions on the themes of ‘women and security’ – with a focus on domestic violence – and ‘women and economic self-determination’, particularly the challenges faced by women artists and entrepreneurs? How does queer feminist leadership drive positive socio-political change and institutional transformation?

With

Janina Agnes, Anja Demidova, Sarina Panahideh, Sasha Andjelo, Maria Bitti, Marina Kurochka, and Mikhail Poliakov. Moderator: Ioana Cristina Casapu.

FLINTA*KULTUR SALON is a project by FLINTA*Literatur, Berlin’s platform for female artists with a migrant or exile background, in collaboration with Lettrétage, funded by the Senate Department for Culture and Social Cohesion, recommended by TheReader Berlin and presented by tipBerlin and .taz.

Website: https://flintaliteratur.de/de

Contact: kontakt@flintaliteratur.de

Sasha Andjelo (Russia) lives and works in exile in Berlin. With a classical training in violin and a fascination for retro synthesisers, his style ranges from post-punk and new wave to electronic music. As frontman of the band Behaviour Model, he creates melancholic, sombre soundscapes and explores the emotional impact of sound beyond traditional song structures. Alongside his artistic work, he works with lighting and sound, organises concerts and festivals, and runs an independent music label through which he releases work by artists who, as a result of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, no longer receive funding or performance opportunities in their home countries.

Janina Agnes (East Berlin) lives in Berlin in a lesbian partnership, has been appearing in the ZDF series *SOKO Stuttgart* since 2018, and is completing a screenwriting course at Schreibhain. In 2023, she received funding through the ‘Diverses Erzählen’ programme (DFFB/Serial Eyes). Her writing combines care work, class and the body with queer-feminist anger and humour. In her spoken-word piece ‘Mum by Day – Gangster by Night’, being a gangster at night becomes a form of survival: care by day, rebellion by night – a way of coping between reality and possibility.

Maria Bitti (Russia) has been living in exile in Berlin since 2023 and is the founder of the Wondering Theatre – a theatre for children and adults that captivates audiences with its warmth, humour and family-like atmosphere. Her work combines imaginative storytelling with lovingly designed spaces and familiar stories, reimagined.

Anja Demidova (Russia) is a theatre director and producer with a classical acting training in Russia, as well as further training with Jan Fabre (Troubleyn) and Odin Theatre, specialising in physical theatre and dance. In 2018, she founded the independent theatre company Urban Forest Echo. Due to her activism against the war and state persecution following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, she lives in exile in Berlin. There, she founded Can.Act e.V., a non-profit organisation that promotes artistic and cultural dialogue and supports artists in difficult situations. Her international experience shapes her artistic work, which has been staged in Russia, Romania, Austria and Germany, including at the Volksbühne and HAU Berlin.

Marina Kurochka (Ukraine) trained in acting at the L. Utesov KMAECM, specialising in mime, and at the renowned GITIS drama school in V.A. Andreeva’s workshop. During her studies, she worked at the Kyiv Circus. After graduating in 2020, she worked in theatre and also appeared in films. She sings, plays the drums, dances and teaches acting and stage speech to children and young people. Due to the war, she is currently living in Berlin, where she is appearing in the production ‘The Run Refugee Rave’, directed by Anja Demidova, and is also performing at the Galli Theater Berlin.

Sarina Panahideh (Iran) explores themes such as identity, resistance and women’s rights in depth. Through a powerful fusion of movement and performance, she creates moving works that interweave personal experiences with political realities. Her pieces have already been presented on various stages across Europe and are characterised by their radical physicality and socio-political urgency. Her work has been featured on the BBC, ARTE, DW and other broadcasters, amongst others.

Mikhail Poliakov (Russia) began playing the piano at the age of five. Following the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, Mikhail put all his artistic projects on hold. Before moving to Germany in the summer of 2022, he worked as a chef. In Hamburg and Berlin, he took part in anti-war and other socially engaged theatre projects. Last year, he worked with Kirill Serebrennikov and others at the Komische Oper Berlin, the Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus and elsewhere.

(in German and English)