This compact exhibition showcases female students and the daughters of the artist – their lives, works and personal stories.

The exhibition presents Berlin as a city in which the histories of art and migration are closely intertwined.

„Cabinet d´un peintre“ (Kabinett eines Malers), Radierung von Daniel Chodowiecki,
Berlin, 1772 (von links nach rechts: Jeanne Barez, Jeanette, Susanne und Henriette Chodowiecka, Isaac Heinrich, Wilhelm und Daniel Chodowiecki) — „Cabinet d´un peintre“ (Kabinett eines Malers), Radierung von Daniel Chodowiecki, Berlin, 1772 (von links nach rechts: Jeanne Barez, Jeanette, Susanne und Henriette Chodowiecka, Isaac Heinrich, Wilhelm und Daniel Chodowiecki)

“Your roots are there – your branches are here – you yourself are here – your head is there”.

From *Geteiltes Leben* by Ertekin Özcan, West Berlin, 1983

What is it like to live between places, languages and memories? Artistic works from the 1970s to the present day explore this question.

Rarely exhibited works from the Berlin Museum’s collection and on loan tell stories of exile, everyday life and self-determination. Archival materials and audio interviews with the artists complement the works and open up transnational perspectives on Berlin’s history and stories.

The artists’ journeys are as diverse as their works. For them, Berlin becomes a new home where they study and practise their art, but also a place of refuge.

What traces have migration and exile left on Berlin’s art scene?
What distinguishes the experiences of East and West Berlin?
What role do networks, shared spaces and self-organisation play?

The exhibition traces the artistic work across painting, printmaking, film and sculpture.

Featuring works by: Cecilia Boisier, Santos Chávez, Ximena Ferrer Pizarro, Evelyn Kuwertz, Ertekin Özcan, Minh Duc Pham, Núria Quevedo, Chetna Vora, Hanefi Yeter

The exhibition ‘Shared Lives: Art and Migration in Berlin’ forms part of the Berlin Museum’s thematic focus on the history of migration. This also includes the exhibition ‘A Change of Scenery: Migration and Furniture since 1960’, curated by Burcu Dogramaci and Manuel Gogos, Migration and Furnishings since 1960, also at the Ephraim-Palais. Running until 3 January 2027, it presents artistic works and documentary material on the themes of housing and settling in, in the context of migration and exile.

At the same time, the Gropius Bau is presenting the exhibition ‘Kreuzberg: Art and Migration since 1960’ from 10 September 2026 to 17 January 2027.

Curated by Christine Heidemann and Aurora Rodonò, in collaboration with Pia Dressler and Antonia Welch Guerra (Berlin Museum).

Supported by: Julius Bötzow Foundation