2023 VATMH Berlin Program Highlights

Loss(es) of Modernity

As part of the BBAW's Salon Sophie Charlotte, VATMH presented a conversation in the Leibniz Hall between two important voices in the German academic public sphere: Aleida Assmann and Andreas Reckwitz - moderated by the great Shelly Kupferberg. The main topic of discussion was: dealing with loss and the promise of progress in modern and postmodern societies. And about what fault lines can be expected when the utopia of a society without losses, suffering, and grief turns out to be unattainable. You can watch the conversation in its entirety on the VATMH YouTube channel.

PoliSounds - How political is pop culture?

Together with the Musicboard Berlin and as part of the Kultursommerfestival, author Alice Hasters, musician Ebow, and journalist Marlene Grunert discussed the political potential and limits of pop culture at 35 degrees and in the packed B-Part at Gleisdreieck. Does pop culture have to be political? And what exactly do we use to determine that? The discussion was moderated by Salwa Houmsi, currently one of the most exciting representatives of the German media sphere. In addition to the discussion, over 650 guests were also able to experience the music acts T'neeya, Anthony Hüseyin, and Ebow on stage.

Rooms with a View

In the exhibition "Rooms with a View," the 2022 Villa Aurora art fellows presented their works created in Los Angeles as well as current positions from October 13 - November 26 at Haus Kunst Mitte Berlin. In many of the works, the artists explored the metropolis of Los Angeles and presented their different perspectives on California - from billboard advertising to the Hollywood film industry, from reflections on the Pacific Ocean to social change, migration, and exile.

The exhibiting artists included Ali El-Darsa, Silke Fischer, Anna Haifisch, Antje Majewski, Lukas Schilling, Sonya Schönberger, Siska, and Clemens von Wedemeyer. The exhibition was curated by Anna Havemann, Artistic Director of Haus Kunst Mitte.