Freiheit, Gleichheit, Solidarność. Polnische Standpunkte in Berlin

In the organizer's words:

Poles have been living in Berlin for centuries, shaping the city culturally, socially, politically and economically. The Polish border is less than 100 km from Berlin. But in many places in Berlin, the close ties to the neighboring country only become apparent at second glance:

The open space "Freedom, Equality, Solidarity" by Ewa Maria Slaska, Anna Krenz and Jemek Jemowit in the BERLIN GLOBAL exhibition is about Berlin as a place of Polish struggles for freedom and against discrimination, but also as a place of dialog and solidarity.

As part of the opening, BERLIN GLOBAL invites you to a concert by the genre-breaking Polish sound artist and queer activist Mala Her ba. Mala Herba is inspired by industrial and experimental electronic sounds as well as traditional Polish music. Afterwards, Berlin-based DJ Paulina Panik will play a diverse set ranging from post-punk and rock to electro and eclectic wave.

Program

• 6 p.m. - Opening of the open space in Raum Vergnügen
• 7 pm - concert by Mala Herba in the Verflechtung room
• 8 pm - DJ set by Paulina Panik in the Verflechtung room

The multi-layered installation by Ewa Maria Slaska, Anna Krenz and Jemek Jemowit leads to seven places of Polish demands for freedom, equality and solidarity in Berlin. These are spread throughout the city, from the Olympic Stadium to Warsaw Bridge, from Moabit Prison to Volkspark Friedrichshain.

The open space also shows Polish perspectives on everyday life in Berlin, moving between a sense of belonging and the experience of discrimination. It explores the question of what traces historical power relations leave behind and how they affect coexistence.

THE ARTISTS

EWA MARIA SLASKAD: Born in Poland in 1949, the writer, editor, publicist, blogger, project manager, translator, teacher and curator Ewa Maria Slaska also sees herself as a mediator between German and Polish.

She fled to Berlin in 1985 as a political activist in the Solidarność movement and has been working in refugee aid ever since. She has been involved in many projects over the past 40 years, including the Polish independent television program "Magazyn Wyspa" ("Island"), WIR e.V. - Association and Publishing House for the Promotion of German-Polish Literature and the German-Polish Poetry Ship.

Recent projects

• 2012 ewamaria.blog
• 2013 Polish graves in Berlin (including exhibition, book, rescue of the grave of Prof. Aleksander Brückner)
• 2021 Actress in the film "The Legend of Zygmunt Blask" by Jemek Jemowit
• 2021 Polkopedia, online encyclopedia of Polish women abroad
• 2022 The missing half of the story. Irena Bobowska, forgotten heroine.
• 2023 Quest for Women*
• 2023/24 Women in the shadow of the guillotine. Polish women executed in Plötzensee
• 2024 Tree for Irena Bobowska in Berlin

ANNA KRENZ: Born in 1976 in Poznań, Poland, the artist, architect, author and activist Anna Krenz has lived in Berlin since 2003. She is the founder of the collective Dziewuchy Berlin and the association Ambasada Polek e.V. She has been working with the Danish Renewable Energy Center - Folkecenter for Renewable Energy on sustainable development projects since 2001.

Anna Krenz is part of the women's project studio Sinus_3, which combines architecture, ecology, visual arts and public space design. From 2003 to 2012, she co-directed the ZERO Gallery in Berlin, which hosted more than 100 exhibitions, concerts and happenings with artists from Poland, Germany and around the world.

Projects (a selection)

• 2004 Polish Woman
• 2019 Global Scream
• 2020 Message of the Polish Women*
• 2022 The missing half of the story. Irena Bobowska, the forgotten heroine.
• 2022 Siostry* Prize
• 2023 Quest for Women*
• 2023 Sisters in Arms - Bettina von Arnim and Julia Woykowska
• 2023/24 Women in the shadow of the guillotine. Polish women executed in Plötzensee
• 2024 Tree for Irena Bobowska in Berlin
• 2024 Contact High with the Curators [Vinyl], Edition Telemark

JEMEK JEMOWIT: Born in 1986 in Gdynia, Poland, Ziemowit Nowak is better known as his alter ego, the goth-glam musician Jemek Jemowit. His artistic journey has spanned various genres since 2009, shaping the musical landscape with a political and conceptual approach.

In addition to his performance and music activities, Nowak has been running the art and culture venue TROPEZ at the Humboldthain summer pool in Berlin's Wedding district since 2019.

Productions

• 2010 Wave & Groom EP [CD-R] Jemcock Productions DE
• 2011 Zemsta LP [Vinyl] Fabrika Records GR
• 2013 Tekkno Polo EP [Tape, CD] Oficyna Biedota PL, Jemcock Prod. DE
• 2015 Jemek Jemowit is Doctor Dres LP [digital, vinyl] Martin Hossbach DE
• 2016 Wróg publiczny N° 1 [digital, CD] Martin Hossbach, Jemcock Prod. DE
• 2019 The Satanic Album [digital, vinyl] Martin Hossbach, Reverend Campanelli Records DE
• 2020 Tekkno Polo LP [digital, vinyl] Martin Hossbach, Reverend Campanelli Records DE
• 2021 Legenda Zygmunta Blask [digital, tape] Atypeek Music FR, Ziemol PL
• 2022 PZPR EP [digital] Atypeek Music FR

MALA HERBA: Mala Herba is a producer, sound artist, queer activist and member of the collective Oramics. Mala Herba's practice is deeply rooted in Slavic village music, queer archives and healing rituals. The first LP Demonologia was released in 2021, followed by the 2022 EP Niedola / Woe in collaboration with Sven Harambašić.

Mala Herba's tracks cross genres, interweaving ritual rhythms, dark lore and piercing vocals with industrial and experimental electronic sounds.

PAULINA PANIK - DJ, curator and music coordinator, has been working for years, first in Poland and then in London. Since moving to Berlin, she has regularly participated in Berlin's nightlife as a DJ. She is based not only at local but also Parisian hotspots, as a support and aftershow DJ for many bands.

Her eclectic style is a mix of alternative dance music. Her set includes new wave, electro, electroclash, gothic, lo-fi, 80s, Italo disco and techno. Paulina blurs the boundaries between musical genres that don't exist in our country, her sets are based and focused on the mood.

- Sat, June 1, 2024 - Mon, January 26, 2026

- The open space is part of the exhibition BERLIN GLOBAL in the room "Vergnügen".

- Please book a ticket for the exhibition.

- Languages: German, English, Polish

- Location: Berlin exhibition, 1st floor

- Opening hours: Mon, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat, Sun: 10:30 - 18:30

Tue: closed