You know you’re human @Points of Resistance V in the Zionskirche | 03.12.2022-07.01.2023

The joint exhibition DU WEISST DASS DU EIN MENSCH BIST @ POINTS of RESISTANCE V opens on 3 December 2022 at the Zionskirche in Berlin. It is a joint statement by artists and curators from Ukraine and Berlin for peace and an alliance of all people who condemn Russia’s war of aggression on Ukraine as a cultural breach.

image above: Antony Reznik, The dramatic story of the heel, 2022

At Christmas, the divergence of realities in one and the same culture seems particularly obscure: Father Christmases in the supermarkets and a pre-Christmas mood not only in Berlin, but everywhere in Europe, while in Ukraine, practically right next door, people are still dying in the worst possible way.

This exhibition in Berlin’s Zion Church aims to convey this almost incomprehensible fact as a Christmas thought-provoking offer. The war in Europe must not be allowed to escalate any further. Everyone can help to bring it to an end, to secure the freedom and independence of Ukraine, to repair the destruction and to bring Putin and his warmongers to justice in an international court. Right now, it is up to each and every one of us in our daily actions.

The origin of the joint exhibition is the exhibition of Ukrainian photographers “You Know That You Are Human” curated by Kataryna Filyuk. It is the winner of the international exhibition support programme “Visualize” of the Ukrainian Cultural Institute, supported by the Goethe-Institut and the Goethe-Institut in Exile. The joint exhibition is a co-production of IZOLYATSIA/ Ukraine as well as MOMENTUM and Points-of-Resistance.org / Berlin.

Artists You know that you are Human:
Valentyn Bo, Aleksander Chekmenev, Maryna Frolova, Oleksander Glyadyelov, Paraska Plytka Horytsvit, Borys Gradov, Alena Grom, Viktor and Sergey Kochetov, Yulia Krivich, Sasha Kurmaz, Viktor Marushchenko, Sergey Melnitchenko, Boris Mikhailov with Mykola Ridnyi, Valeriy Miloserdov, Iryna Pap, Evgeniy Pavlov, Roman Pyatkovka, Natasha Shulte, Synchrodogs, Viktoriia Temnova, Mykola Trokh

POINTS of RESISTANCE V:
Borys Artiukovych, Lutz Becker, Andreas Blank, Viki Berg, Karol Broniatowski, Kerstin Dzewior, Louisa Dzewior, Thomas Eller, Mahsa Foroughi, FRANEK, Sofia Golubeva, Chris Hammerlein, Gregor Hildebrandt, Christian Jankowski, Anne Jungjohann, Miru Kim, Gita Kurdpoor, Valeryia Losikava, Maria Lutsak, Volker März, Iris Musolf, Anastasia Pasechnik, Stefan Rinck, Aurora Reinhard, Antony Reznik, Nina E. Schönefeld, Deborah Sengl, Kerstin Serz, Caroline Shepard, Marta Vovk, Patricia Waller, Sofiia Yesakova

The congregation and the Friends of the Zion Church have been a firm authority in Berlin as mediators between worlds for decades. Very consciously, the church also offers art a shelter – religion and art have a common root in human spirituality.

Especially in view of Berlin’s painful history, the Zion Church is a special place for joint messages from the church and artists and cultural workers. The courageous work of the theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer is associated with it, as is the resistance movement “Environmental Library” during the times of the former GDR.

“Points of Resistance” is an exhibition series initiated by KLEINERVONWIESE and MOMENTUM in the deepest Corona Shutdown 2021, which offers a platform to humanist and democratic basic attitudes in cooperation with the Förderverein der Zionskirche e.V.. The previous editions of this exhibition series in the Zionskirche were entitled “POINTS of RESISTANCE / S-O-S”, “Paradoxes of Freedom”, Stefan Rinck “Großer Lastenbär / Why I bear” and “Skills for Peace”.

Time and again, since the outbreak of the Corona crisis, forces have been and are being combined to continue art exhibitions in the Zion Church. Because especially in times like these, nothing is more important than art and culture to mobilise the forces needed to put a stop to ignorance and indifference, authoritarianism and nationalism, racism and war worldwide.

The core of the exhibition “You Know That You Are Human” is the work of 21 Ukrainian photographers, curated by Kataryna Filyk. The title is borrowed from the famous poem by the Ukrainian poet Vasyl Symonenko: “Ти знаєш, що ти – людина” / “You Know That You Are Human”. It is part of the official school curriculum in Ukraine and shows the life and uniqueness of each human life. The works of the Ukrainian photographers also provide an interesting insight into the changes that have taken place in Ukrainian society since the 1960s, from the years when the dream of socialism was gradually proving to be a failure to the last months of the Ukrainians’ self-sacrificing struggle for their country.

The current joint exhibition additionally gathers a variety of artistic voices from Berlin. As a special support, works by very young Ukrainian artists are shown who were able to flee from the war and are currently able to live in the “UCC” ( https://transitraeume.org/ucc) in Berlin.

UCC Berlin (Ukrainian Cultural Community)
The UCC Berlin is the result of the civic engagement of founder Anastasia Pasechnik and five committed Berlin women with the support of institutions such as Scope Berlin gUG, WeiberWirtschaft eG, Kukumu e.V., Happy Immo, Stiftung AusserGewöhnlich and Transiträume e.V. With the UCC, an artists-in-residence was created in Berlin Charlottenburg to give young Ukrainian artists and creatives a new basis and perspective. The “UCC Berlin” at Leibnizstraße 57 has been open to the public since June 2022.

Dr Klaus Lederer, Senator for Culture and Europe and patron of the project, is aware of the great significance of this project for the metropolis of Berlin and for Europe-wide understanding. “Berlin is Shelter City: a city of solidarity and a harbour that offers protection to people in need. That this succeeds depends not only on the government, but to a large extent on the commitment of Berliners. That’s exactly why it’s so great that a place has been created here, together and out of conviction, where artists can gather again after the terrible experiences of the war in Ukraine, find peace and work together.

In addition to the political level, the project was also actively supported by Berlin’s private sector. For example, the company WITTE Projektmanagement made the project possible through start-up financing, and the Berlinische Galerie and Engel & Völkers Commercial also supported it with generous donations.

The exhibition will take place at Zion Church from 3 December 2022 to 7 January 2023. Especially at Christmas this year, it can be an offer to reflect on finding ways to refuse powerlessness.

Organiser:
IZOLYATSIA, MOMENTUM, KLEINERVONWIESE

Curators:
Kataryna Filyuk, Constanze Kleiner, Rachel Rits-Volloch, Stephan von Wiese

Supported by:
Ukrainischen Institut, Goethe-Institut sowie Goethe-Institut im Exil
Luther Rechtsanwaltsgesellschaft mbH

Thanks to:
UCC Ukrainian Cultural Community, AusserGewöhnlich Berlin Foundation, SCOPE BLN gUG, WeiberWirtschaft e.V., Happy Immo Club, Transiträume e.V., Stedley Art Foundation, MOKSOP, Grynyov Art Collection, Iryna Pap Estate, The community of Kryvorivnia village, Mann Bau GmbH, Markus Deschler Gallery, Gilla Lörcher Gallery, Werner Tammen Gallery, Gallery KLEINERVONWIESE, IZOLYATSIA, MOMENTUM, Förderverein Zionskirche e.V., Yaroslav Solop, Kateryna Radchenko, Tetyana Pavlova,Goethe-Institut and Goethe-Institut in Exile

WHEN?

Vernissage: Saturday, 3 December 2022 from 01:00 p.m. to 18:00 p.m.

03.00 p.m. / Greetings:
Representatives of the municipality and the development association Representatives of the Ukrainian Embassy and the Goethe-Institut

Exhibition dates: Saturday, 3 December 2022 to Saturday, 07 January 2023

WHERE?
Zionskirche
Zionskirchplatz
10119 Berlin Mitte