Culture Across Borders
Shaping Cultural Narratives Through Artistic Migration
Duration: 90 min
Language: English
Radialsystem
Holzmarktstraße 33, 10243 Berlin
Curated by:
Dahlia Borsche (DAAD)
Marina Davydova (Voices Berlin Festival)
How do artists navigate creation in exile, between cultural contexts and political fault lines? The public discussion "Culture Across Borders: Shaping Cultural Narratives Through Artistic Migration" brings together voices from diverse countries and cultural backgrounds to reflect on the complexities of artistic practice shaped by displacement. The participants will explore how lived experience can become a form of testimony, resistance, or reconciliation; the risks and consequences of speaking out — or staying silent — in exile; and how international visibility transforms both opportunities and expectations for artists from regions in conflict.
Participators
Moderator:
Stefanie Carp (Germany) – theater and festival director, curator, and dramaturg. Former artistic director of the Ruhrtriennale (2018–2020), recognized for innovative programming and international collaborations across theatre, opera, and interdisciplinary arts.
Speakers:
Marina Davydova (Russia/Germany) – theater critic, director, playwright, producer and performing arts programme director at Voices Berlin Festival. Later she curated the drama programme of the Wiener Festwochen (2016) and was Director of Drama at the Salzburg Festival (2023–2024).
Rustem Begenov (Kazakhstan) – director and composer, founder and artistic director of the creative association ORTA, based in Almaty and engaged in the development and implementation of experimental projects in the field of contemporary culture and art.
Rabih Mroue (Lebanon/Germany) – actor, director, visual artist and playwright, he has written and directed several plays. His work, at the crossroads of theatre, performance and the visual arts, blurs the boundaries between reality and fiction, using videos, photographs and historical documents to challenge the hegemony of the archive. He is also a contributing editor to The Drama Review (New York) and co-founder of the Beirut Art Center (BAC)
Ersan Mondtag (Germany) – visual artist, designer and stage director. His works have been shown internationally, and he has been invited to collaborate with institutions such as the Berliner Ensemble, the Munich Kammerspiele, MMK Frankfurt, Kunsthalle Baden Baden. In 2024, he co-designed the German Pavilion at the 60th Art Biennale in Venice.
Dror Feiler (Israel/Sweden) – composer, musician, and artist, DAAD resident. Known for politically engaged works that merge experimental music, improvisation, and activism. Born in Tel Aviv, he has lived in Sweden since the 1970s. His compositions and performances often address conflict, resistance, and identity, bridging art and politics.
Free event – registration required.