“Story Material – New Perspectives on Literature” is the name of the exhibition at the Dahlem Research Campus, which opens on Thursday, April 16, 2026. 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.
Image above: Japanischer Stellschirm. Szene aus der Geschichte vom Prinzen Genji_Miyuki, Detail. Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Museum für Asiatische Kunst / Jürgen Liepe CC BY-SA 4.0
When we think of literature, we usually think of the printed book. However, ErzählStoff (Story Material) challenges us to shift our perspective: Starting with unique and surprising objects Chinese oracle bones, a Japanese folding screen, or woven mats from the Swahili coast of East Africa literature is examined in its materiality, as lived practice, and as an aesthetic experience.
The exhibition showcases objects that tell stories in very different ways, generating and transmitting narratives and setting them in motion across media.
ErzählStoff brings together experts from museums and the university. The convergence of these diverse approaches creates new knowledge about the objects and their stories an openness that extends to visitors, inviting them to explore the objects with their own questions and perspectives through personal encounters, academic discussions, workshops, and events for the whole family.
ErzählStoff As part of the opening on April 16 at 6:30 p.m., there will be an opportunity to listen to a musical performance of Persian poems and their German translations. Afterwards, the curators will be available for personal discussions, offering insights into the conception and development of the exhibition.
The project is being realized and curated by staff members of the Institute for Museum Research, the Ethnological Museum / Museum of Asian Art, and the Cluster of Excellence “Temporal Communities” at the Free University of Berlin. It is the second presentation within the DenkRaum project at the Dahlem Research Campus.
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
