deutschsprachige Version des Textes With the Fresh A.I.R. (Artist-In-Residence) program, the Stiftung Berliner Leben awards grants to European artists who deal with socio-political and urban issues. At the same time, they give residents of the city an insight into their perspective and skills in the form of workshops and events. The 12 fellows of the sixth Fresh A.I.R. year from a total of 10 nations came to Berlin in October 2021 and finished their fellowship in March 2022. The scholarship holders of the sixth Fresh A.I.R. year use a broad spectrum of media to scale the topic of migration. The starting point for all the works presented was the experience of migrants, refugees and newcomers in Berlin. Both contemporary and historical testimonies are expressed in the artistic works. With the help of social media, through encounters in the urban space and at discussion events, the scholarship holders came into contact with new Berlin citizens. Some scholarship holders deepened their participatory work in workshops, some conducted interviews, and others accompanied individuals over a longer period of time. The scholarship holders used a variety of artistic forms to present the results of their encounters and research. The goal here was to replace common stereotypical patterns of portrayal of migrants with new approaches to a topic that is frequently instrumentalized in politics and the media. This means not only talking about migrants, but also including the experiences of migrants and thus making migrant life worlds tangible. The scholarship holders succeed in this in the exhibition also due to the broad spectrum of media. Acoustic contributions that make narratives, sounds, and conversations audible invite visitors to immerse themselves in dense sound atmospheres. The theme of the acoustic contributions is also orientation in an environment whose language is not always comprehensible. In a performance, viewers are invited to become active despite linguistic barriers; the soundtrack and subtitles of a video work confront viewers with a confusion of languages. The fact that not only language but also typography enables orientation can be experienced in a room-filling installation as well as in graphically structured booklets. Structures of migrant life reality are also conveyed by the almost hyperreal miniature rooms. Despite the very different visual languages of artistic documentary photography, private photographs in social networks, murals, drawings, and blueprints, the images in the exhibition refer equally to specific everyday experiences that are often marked by racism, institutional and direct violence. The merit of the exhibition is not only the experienceability of migrant life realities, but also the critical reflection of certainties of the white, German majority society. I hope you, dear readers, will enjoy exploring the artistic works of our sixth year. Janine Arndt Artistic Director Linda Söderholm The artist’s collaborative work connects migration experiences with leFers, typography, and cultural practices. The exhibition is based on conversations with new Berlin citizens from Croatia/Iran, USA/South Korea, Libya, Russia, and East/West Berlin regarding their feelings about home and language. the project Marta Bogdańska The context of the sound works, created in a three-month joint project, is the humanitarian need on the border between Poland and Belarus. The audio pieces can be received in the middle of the sculpture, Access forbidden. The sculpture transports both physically and metaphorically the division of the urban space into the exhibition. the project Maria Pichel Llaquet What does it mean to have a home? What role do surroundings play in finding a new home? And can a certain environment facilitate the feeling of ´having arrived`? Pichel artistically explores these questions and talks to Berliners about their experiences, feelings and stories. the project Tomáš Kajánek Tomáš Kajánek`s video project deals with the history of Bohemian religious refugees in Rixdorf since the 18th century, using historical film clips and other sources. The video artist explores the historical reasons for migration, refugee experiences and their after-effects up to the present day. the project Ecaterina Stefanescu Through a process of rapprochement in public space, Stefanescu received invitations to private spaces and insights into the everyday life and lives of Romanian migrants. From her encounters, the architectural designer subsequently constructed spaces and spatial experiences again. the project Andreas Langfeld Structural and institutional racism disadvantages people with migration experience, both in terms of access to educational opportunities and generally in terms of their ability to shape their own lives in a self-determined way. Langfeld addresses these interlocking aspects of racism and migration in his work. the project Regina Vitányi To understand the reality of migrants` lives in Berlin, Regina Vitányi visited demonstrations and discussion happenings. At the same time, the graphic designer and artist investigated the way migration has been reported in the Central European public media in the past twelve years and how images and history are used to create certain media effects. the project Ludivine Thomas-Andersson Ludivine Thomas-Andersson approaches the penetration of migration experiences into the dream of refugees and migrants in different ways and with the help of different media. Thomas-Andersson interviewed eight artists with migration experience in Berlin about the nature of their dreams. the project Denise Lobont The photographer was interested in what the absence from the Romanian homeland did to the harvest workers and how the working life in Germany between March and June affected their private lives and their relationships with family members in Romania. the project Nikki Spanou What does it mean to live, act and manage everyday life in an environment whose language you do not understand? In her work, Nikki Spanou explores the relationships between an unintelligible language and the reality of life in a new place. the project Aslı Dinç and Zeynep Okyay For Aslı Dinç and Zeynep Okyay, the main objective of their participatory work is to collect information about the future visions of people from diverse backgrounds. The participants often imagined themselves in the future as transhuman beings, as animals or as hybrid creatures. the project Fresh A.I.R. #6 – General Informationen More Info
Linda Söderholm The artist’s collaborative work connects migration experiences with leFers, typography, and cultural practices. The exhibition is based on conversations with new Berlin citizens from Croatia/Iran, USA/South Korea, Libya, Russia, and East/West Berlin regarding their feelings about home and language. the project
Marta Bogdańska The context of the sound works, created in a three-month joint project, is the humanitarian need on the border between Poland and Belarus. The audio pieces can be received in the middle of the sculpture, Access forbidden. The sculpture transports both physically and metaphorically the division of the urban space into the exhibition. the project
Maria Pichel Llaquet What does it mean to have a home? What role do surroundings play in finding a new home? And can a certain environment facilitate the feeling of ´having arrived`? Pichel artistically explores these questions and talks to Berliners about their experiences, feelings and stories. the project
Tomáš Kajánek Tomáš Kajánek`s video project deals with the history of Bohemian religious refugees in Rixdorf since the 18th century, using historical film clips and other sources. The video artist explores the historical reasons for migration, refugee experiences and their after-effects up to the present day. the project
Ecaterina Stefanescu Through a process of rapprochement in public space, Stefanescu received invitations to private spaces and insights into the everyday life and lives of Romanian migrants. From her encounters, the architectural designer subsequently constructed spaces and spatial experiences again. the project
Andreas Langfeld Structural and institutional racism disadvantages people with migration experience, both in terms of access to educational opportunities and generally in terms of their ability to shape their own lives in a self-determined way. Langfeld addresses these interlocking aspects of racism and migration in his work. the project
Regina Vitányi To understand the reality of migrants` lives in Berlin, Regina Vitányi visited demonstrations and discussion happenings. At the same time, the graphic designer and artist investigated the way migration has been reported in the Central European public media in the past twelve years and how images and history are used to create certain media effects. the project
Ludivine Thomas-Andersson Ludivine Thomas-Andersson approaches the penetration of migration experiences into the dream of refugees and migrants in different ways and with the help of different media. Thomas-Andersson interviewed eight artists with migration experience in Berlin about the nature of their dreams. the project
Denise Lobont The photographer was interested in what the absence from the Romanian homeland did to the harvest workers and how the working life in Germany between March and June affected their private lives and their relationships with family members in Romania. the project
Nikki Spanou What does it mean to live, act and manage everyday life in an environment whose language you do not understand? In her work, Nikki Spanou explores the relationships between an unintelligible language and the reality of life in a new place. the project
Aslı Dinç and Zeynep Okyay For Aslı Dinç and Zeynep Okyay, the main objective of their participatory work is to collect information about the future visions of people from diverse backgrounds. The participants often imagined themselves in the future as transhuman beings, as animals or as hybrid creatures. the project
