An exhibition running from 16 April to 3 September 2026, organised by the Dahlem Research Campus in collaboration with the Cluster of Excellence ‘Temporal Communities. Doing Literature in a Global Perspective’ at Freie Universität Berlin.
Image above: Japanese folding screen. Scene from the story of Prinzen Genji_Miyuki, Detail. Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Museum für Asiatische Kunst / Jürgen Liepe CC BY-SA 4.0
What myths are woven into fabric, from which signs is the future read, and how far does the sound of the songs carry? The exhibition ErzählStoff explores literary practice beyond the printed word.
When we think of literature, we usually think of the printed book. ErzählStoff challenges us to shift our perspective: taking as its starting point unique and surprising objects – including Chinese oracle bones, a Japanese folding screen and woven mats from the East African Swahili coast – the exhibition focuses on literature in its materiality, as a lived practice and an aesthetic experience. The exhibition presents objects that tell stories in very different ways, generating, passing on and setting stories in motion across media.
ErzählStoff brings together experts from museums and the university. The convergence of these different perspectives gives rise to new insights into the objects and their stories – an openness that rubs off on visitors and invites them to explore the exhibits through their own questions and perspectives – through personal encounters, academic discussions, workshops and events for the whole family.
WHEN?
Opening: Thursday, 16. April 2026, 6:30 pm
Exhibition dates: Thursday, 16. April until Donnerstag, 3. September 2026
Opening hours: Thursday 2-8 pm and Sunday 11 am-6 pm
WHERE?
Forschungscampus Dahlem
Lansstraße 8
14195 Berlin
