Worlds in Repair

In an era characterised by endless wars, increasing militarisation, cross-border armed violence and the capitalist destruction of ecological habitats, the question of how ‘repair’ and ‘restoration’ can be conceived and how ‘reparation’ can be practised has become unavoidable.

‘Worlds in Repair’ brings together artists, curators and academics through an exhibition, a symposium and engagement with artworks to explore how art and critical learning can function as forms of repair in Berlin. As a collective endeavour, the project addresses the lasting effects of violence, displacement and the destruction of cultural heritage, whilst simultaneously engaging with uncertain prospects for the future. It centres the idea of repair as inseparable from justice and calls for accountability in the face of the hardships and the persistence of colonial histories and memories, as well as the ethical, ecological and political challenges of the 21st century. At the same time, the project resists entrenched interpretations and the violence of hierarchical knowledge that pervades political and cultural institutions, thereby opening up space for new ways of conceiving our world beyond the divisions of political, social and cultural polarisation.

The works in the exhibition, the symposium contributions and the programme in public spaces reflect upon and explore the key themes of repair, reparation and justice. Particular attention is paid to coming to terms with colonial violence, its narrative, memory and commemoration, its consequences extending into the present day, and the necessity of collective resistance. The programme is interdisciplinary in nature, with the emphasis on the equal exchange of knowledge and experience beyond disciplinary boundaries.

Featuring:

Ayman Alazraq, Kerylos Aziz, Ariella Aïsha Azoulay, Memory Biwa, Debasish Borah, Marc Da Costa, Nikita Dhawan, Forensic Architecture and Forensis, Šejla Kamerić, Madeleine Kneissig, Ewa Majewska, Abdessamad El Montassir, Yara Mekawei, Ciraj Rassool, Elena Sinanina, Sonya Schönberger, Kamala Vasuki (Vasuki Jeyasankar).

Other contributors from the Lenbachhaus and Kunstbau Munich: Mona Feyrer, Lisa Kern; and from the Provenance Lab at Leuphana University Lüneburg: Lynn Rother, Claudia Andratschke, Agustina Andreoletti, Nnenna Onuoha.

The programme will be held in English.

Exhibition

11–21 December 2026, Studio 1, Kunstquartier Bethanien

The exhibition presents a series of new and existing works by international artists and collectives that engage in a dialogue with one another through their subject matter.

Sound artist Yara Mekawei presents a new composition and installation developed in collaboration with Egyptologist Kerylos Aziz. The work explores the legacy and history of the ancient Egyptian pharaoh Hatshepsut.

Marc Da Costa has created a new video work exploring the visual representation of Western imperial archaeological excavations in a digital context, and questions the significance of images circulating in the public domain (and their importance for museums and academia) in the face of the inevitable influence of artificial intelligence.

In her new installation *Sunset Blue, 2026*, the artist and historian Memory Biwa examines the genocide that took place during German colonial rule in Namibia. Drawing on dissonant fragments of the so-called Blue Book, as well as associated oral traditions and embodied archives, she illustrates the ongoing cycle of resilience and the struggle for restorative justice.

Programme

11 December 2026

1.30 pm Debasish Borah, *Is this the Museum of European Civilisation?*, lecture performance

Venue: Sanchi Gate in front of the Humboldt Forum, Schloßplatz, 10178 Berlin

4.30 pm – 8.00 pm Šejla Kamerić, AWAKE, performative installation

Venue: Mariannenplatz, in front of the Kunstquartier Bethanien

6.00 pm Exhibition opening

Venue: Studio 1, Kunstquartier Bethanien, Mariannenplatz 2, 10997 Berlin

7.00 pm – 8.00 pm Performance by Yara Mekawei and Kerylos Aziz

Venue: Studio 1, Kunstquartier Bethanien, Mariannenplatz 2, 10997 Berlin

12 December 2026

11.00 – 12.00 Themed guided tour with Kerylos Aziz: Egyptology, Archaeological Sites in Egypt and Traces of Hatshepsut in Berlin

Venue: outside Dussmann, das KulturKaufhaus, Friedrichstraße 90, 10117 Berlin; Museum Island; and outside the Neues Museum, Bodestraße 1–3, 10178 Berlin

Symposium, 12 December 2026

Venue: Kindl – Centre for Contemporary Art, Am Sudhaus 3, 12053 Berlin

Doors open at 2.00 pm; the event begins at 2.30 pm with an introduction

3.00 pm – 5.00 pm Panel: Enlightenment, Colonial Plunder, the Return of Hatshepsut

Prof. Dr Nikita Dhawan, Kerylos Aziz, Elena Sinanina, Yara Mekawei

5.15 pm – 6.00 pm Presentation and discussion

Städtische Galerie im Lenbachhaus and Kunstbau, Munich

Mona Feyrer and Lisa Kern

Symposium, 13 December 2026

Venue: Kindl – Centre for Contemporary Art, Am Sudhaus 3, 12053 Berlin

Doors open at 9.30 am, starts at 10.00 am

10.00 am – 12.00 pm Panel: Mythologies, Biographies, the Ghosts of Colonialism

Sonya Schönberger, Kamala Vasuki, Šejla Kamerić, Prof. Dr Ewa Majewska

12.15 – 14.15 Panel

Colonialism, Architecture, Archive

Ayman Alazraq, Prof. Dr Ciraj Rassool, Dr Memory Biwa, Dr Debasish Borah

3.00 pm – 5.00 pm Presentation and discussion

Provenance Lab, Leuphana University of Lüneburg

Agustina Andreoletti, Nnenna Onuoha, Prof. Dr Lynn Rother, Dr Claudia Andratschke

5.15 pm – 6.00 pm Film screening

Ariella Aïsha Azoulay, *Palestine is there, where it had always been* (2026)

6.00 pm – 7.45 pm Discussion and closing remarks

Information and opening hours

AWAKE installation

11 December 2026: 4.30 pm – 8.00 pm

Exhibition

11 December 2026: 6.00 pm – 8.00 pm

12 December 2026 – 21 December 2026: 10.00 am – 6.00 pm

Curated tours: 15 December – 21 December 2026, daily, 1.00 pm – 2.00 pm, no booking required

Free admission

Symposium

12 December 2026: 2.30 pm – 6.00 pm

13 December 2026: 10.00 – 19.45

Tickets for the symposium, the guided tour with Kerylos Aziz and the lecture by Debasish Borah available from 2 November 2026