The exhibition "Once We Were Trees, Now We Are Birds" brings together some 50 positions from different disciplines, such as visual art, performance, literature and photography, addressing issues such as social violence, political suppression, restrictions on freedom of speech and human rights. Among other things, it explores the circumstances leading to loss of homeland and how life changes in a new home country. It includes considerations of current challenges, such as migration policy, anti-Muslim racism and the growth of authoritarian forces.
For the exhibition, each artist designs a poster which visitors can take away with them. Posters have a long tradition as a medium for information, freedom of speech and artistic activism. At the same time, as printed works, posters are a counterpart to the endless stream of digital images and may be understood as an act of resistance. The exhibition takes up these threads.
A press tour of the exhibition will take place on 20.02.2025 from 11:00 - 12:00 at the ifa Gallery Berlin.
Please register at: ifa-Galerie-Berlin(at)ifa.de or mail(at)corinnawolfien.com.
The exhibition opening will take place on 20 February 2025 from 19:00 to 22:00 in the ifa Gallery Berlin.
On these dates there will be a guided tour of the exhibition 'Once We Were Trees, Now We Are Birds' in the ifa Gallery with the curatorial team: Anna Karpenko, Emrah Gökdemir, Muhammad Salah.
The tours will be held in English.
The performative counterpart to the exhibition is the festival, which will take place from 6 to 8 June 2025 in the premises of the Goethe-Institut im Exil at the Kunsthaus ACUD. It offers a varied programme of performances, film screenings, discussions, readings, concerts and DJ sets.
A joint project of the Martin Roth Initiative, a joint project of the ifa, the ifa Gallery Berlin and the Goethe Institute in Exile.
The Martin Roth-Initiative is one of the largest relocation programmes for artists and cultural actors at risk world-wide.The ifa Gallery Berlin is showcasing for the first time in a joint exhibition Once We Were Trees, Now We Are Birds the work of some 50 scholarship holders who, with help from the Martin Roth-Initiative, were able to continue and fur-ther develop their artistic practice in safety in Germany.
Tuesday – Sunday: 14.00 – 18.00
Thursday: 14.00 – 20.00
Closed on Mondays and holidays
Free admission
The ifa Galleries in Stuttgart and Berlin present contemporary art from a global point of view. The work of the ifa Galleries is based on seeing the world from a diversity and plurality of perspectives, discovering new stories, and shaping emancipatory processes, interactions, and artistic spaces. Our focus is on long-term relationships with artists, partners, and visitors, and our exhibitions and education programmes are developed through practices of collaboration that trace global entanglements and piece them together in new forms of narrative.
ifa – Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen promotes a peaceful and enriching coexistence between people and cultures worldwide. ifa supports artistic and cultural exchange in exhibition, dialogue and conference programmes, and it acts as a centre of excellence for international cultural relations. It is part of a global network and relies on sustainable, long-term partnerships. ifa is supported by the Federal Foreign Office of the Federal Republic of Germany, the state of Baden-Württemberg and its capital Stuttgart.
Please note the specific information on accessibility at the respective venue.
Linienstraße 139/140
D-10115 Berlin
