ZOE / HAUS MAWU: MAWU LISA

In the organizer's words:

That's why I feel drawn to myths. In the real world and its history, I often have the feeling of not belonging, of not being told, of having an existence in between. I exist between continents, between cultures, between colors and between stories of different peoples and narratives of different nations. Between concepts, truths, realities. Myths, however, allow us to imagine our own history, to reconnect with our ancestors and to create a space in which we can exist without having to justify ourselves. A space in between that we can expand endlessly. A place without borders where we can meet and imagine a home. And isn't every story just a myth in the end anyway?

Driven by the longing to remember one's own origins and ancestral lines and to create a home, MAWU LISA creates a space for a hybrid, Afro-diasporic saga. Six Black performers meet and embark on a multi-spherical search for their individual and collective, cultural and spiritual heritage. In doing so, they reflect on identity-forming, pop-cultural and political moments and take up colonial images in order to revise them. They explore physically archived knowledge, spiritual practices and family traditions.

Marie-Zoe Buchholz / ZOE is an interdisciplinary performance artist and curator from Düsseldorf. In her work, she reflects on rehabilitation, transformation and the (re)appropriation of body and space as well as the relationship between power and marginalization. Her artistic practice combines the aesthetics of voguing and ballroom, physical theater, club and free styles, spoken word and vocal music. She was a founding member of the first German ballroom house and developed into one of the leading figures in the German ballroom community. Most recently, she celebrated the premiere of her solo show FEMINA SAGA - Genesis at tanzhaus nrw.

HAUS MAWU, initiated by ZOE, is an artistic company. It sees itself as a place to think and create spaces, bodies and stories in a post-patriarchal heterotopia that unfolds in all directions and creates community through art and ritual. HAUS MAWU aims to strengthen the visibility of Black and diasporic cultural practices and aesthetics and to advance the transformation of institutionalized culture through hybrid projects and interdisciplinary storytelling. They use diverse forms of artistic expression such as theater, dance, club and subculture, film, music, audio, writing, installations, education as well as ritual and spiritual practices. As a collaborative space for diverse artists, the company is dedicated to strengthening diasporic, queer and intersectional perspectives. A core intention is to rewrite history and to reflect and question reality through folklore, fiction and pop culture. HAUS MAWU stands for intentional transformation, rehabilitation and integration.

In German, English and others. With surtitles. Loud music and strobe.
Duration: approx. 60 min.
Recommended from 14+