{"id":2863,"date":"2025-02-24T22:23:39","date_gmt":"2025-02-24T21:23:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/baerenzwinger.berlin\/en\/?page_id=2863"},"modified":"2025-05-21T14:39:36","modified_gmt":"2025-05-21T12:39:36","slug":"if-my-neighbour-is-okay-im-okay","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/baerenzwinger.berlin\/en\/program\/if-my-neighbour-is-okay-im-okay\/","title":{"rendered":"If my neighbour is okay, I\u2019m okay"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>with <br><a href=\"#edna\">Edna Al-Najar<\/a><br><a href=\"#belia\">Belia Zanna Geetha Br\u00fcckner<\/a><br><a href=\"#ece\">Ece Cang\u00fcden<\/a><br>and <a href=\"#elvis\">Elvis Osmanovi\u0107<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/baerenzwinger.berlin\/en\/program\/if-my-neighbour-is-okay-im-okay\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"722\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/baerenzwinger.berlin\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/05\/Flyer-fur-Webseite-722x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3087\" srcset=\"https:\/\/baerenzwinger.berlin\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/05\/Flyer-fur-Webseite-722x1024.jpg 722w, https:\/\/baerenzwinger.berlin\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/05\/Flyer-fur-Webseite-423x600.jpg 423w, https:\/\/baerenzwinger.berlin\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/05\/Flyer-fur-Webseite-768x1090.jpg 768w, https:\/\/baerenzwinger.berlin\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/05\/Flyer-fur-Webseite-1083x1536.jpg 1083w, https:\/\/baerenzwinger.berlin\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/05\/Flyer-fur-Webseite-1444x2048.jpg 1444w, https:\/\/baerenzwinger.berlin\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/05\/Flyer-fur-Webseite-235x333.jpg 235w, https:\/\/baerenzwinger.berlin\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/05\/Flyer-fur-Webseite.jpg 1748w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 722px) 100vw, 722px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Graphic: Nora Keilig<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><strong>Exhibition<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>7\/3\/2025 \u2013 18\/5\/2025<br><strong>Extended by two weeks!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Curated by<br>Alin Daghestani, Philipp Hennch and Dr. Maximilian Kr\u00e4mer<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The exhibition <a href=\"#exhibition\">\u00bbIf my neighbour is okay, I\u2019m okay\u00ab<\/a><strong> <\/strong>is the fourth part of the annual programme <strong>HANDLE (with) CARE.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><strong>Events<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"#opening\" data-type=\"internal\" data-id=\"#opening\"><strong>6\/3\/2025, 6 pm<\/strong><br>Opening<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"#workshop\"><strong>16\/3\/2025, 2\u20134 pm<\/strong><br>Workshop with Belia Br\u00fcckner<br>\u00bbturning societal problems into crimes\u00ab<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"#conflict\"><strong>25\/3\/2025, 6 pm<br><\/strong>\u00bbCurating through Conflict with Care\u00ab as special guest at B\u00e4renzwinger<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"#tour\"><strong>3\/4\/2025, 7 pm<\/strong><br>Guided tour by the curators (in German)<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"#rezepte\"><strong>13\/4\/2025, 2\u20134 pm<\/strong><br>Neighborhood meeting \u00bbCoffee, Cake and Recipes\u00ab<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"#asli\"><strong>26\/4\/2025<\/strong><br><strong>3\u20135 pm <\/strong>\u00bbThe Tides of Far Spheres: A Lore-Making Performative Game\u00ab with Asl\u0131 Din\u00e7 (in English and Turkish)<br><\/a><a href=\"#ecetalk\"><strong>5:30 pm<\/strong> Artist Talk with Ece Cang\u00fcden<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"#talk2\"><strong>4\/5\/2025, Programme during Gallery Weekend<\/strong><br><strong>2\u20133 pm<\/strong> Artist Talk with Edna Al-Najar and Elvis Osmanovi\u0107<\/a><br><a href=\"#empathy\"><strong>3:30\u20135 pm<\/strong> \u00bbConsultation Hour of the Ministry of Empathy\u00ab<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"#finissage\"><strong>18\/5\/2025, 4-7 pm<\/strong><br>Finissage<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"opening\">Opening<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><strong>6\/3\/2025, 6 pm<\/strong><br>Opening<br><br><strong>7 pm<\/strong> Welcome<br><br><strong>7:30 pm <\/strong>DJ Set with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/twist_fire\/\">Hinna<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Free entry<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><strong>On Thursday, 6 March 2025<\/strong>, B\u00e4renzwinger warmly invites you to the opening of the exhibition<strong> &#8220;If my neighbour is okay, I\u2019m okay&#8221; <\/strong>at 6 pm. At 7 pm there will be a greeting and from 7:30 pm pm there will be a DJ set by Hinna.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>The exhibition will feature a diverse range of workshops, artist talks, a guided tour by the curators, and a discourse format, with a special program taking place during Gallery Weekend (4 May 2025) as well as other education programmes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With the artists Edna Al-Najar, Belia Zanna Geetha Br\u00fcckner, Ece Cang\u00fcden, and Elvis Osmanovi\u0107<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>DJ-Set by Hinna<\/strong><strong><br><\/strong>Hinna is a Berlin-based DJane and producer, who creates a journey from atmospheric sounds to danceable rhythms with her curated set for B\u00e4renzwinger. She blends house, afro-Latin beats, and disco, steadily building the energy of the evening.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"exhibition\"><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>ARE WE OKAY? MUTUALLY CARING FOR EACH OTHER<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Why do we care for one another at all? The assumption embedded in the title may offer an initial answer, yet it also invites further questions. How far does the reciprocity it implies extend? Whom do we feel close to, and why? And should this sense of closeness shape the way we care for others? <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The spring exhibition launches the B\u00e4renzwinger&#8217;s 2025 program \u2013<strong>&#8220;HANDLE (with) CARE&#8221;<\/strong> \u2013 with a focus on the ambiguities and overlooked aspects of care culture. It looks at forms of care practice in which the inclusion of people and the exclusion of others are intertwined \u2013 or those that restrict rather than provide support. The exhibition also reflects on the B\u00e4renzwinger, both past and present, as a space of care. It invites visitors to explore how notions of caring for others are translated architecturally, sculpturally, physically, and visually through an engagement with the site\u2019s specific conditions. Do these forms offer support today, or do they primarily impose restrictions?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>REVISTING ENCLOSING ARCHITECTURES OF CARE<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Having once served as an animal enclosure, the architecture of the B\u00e4renzwinger Berlin is imbued with a distinct understanding of care. A plaque on the west side of the monument reads: \u201cOur dear bear cubs shall thrive.\u201d With three barred cells, two moats and an open view on K\u00f6llnischer Park, the architecture of the 1930s resonates the then and there care for bears like Schnute. Built in the taste of modern pragmatism, the bears were confined in tight enclosures, where their bodies were pressed against metal bars and where they had to move through narrow hatches. Two intermediate doors with peepholes carefully separated caregivers from those being cared for. These are architectures of care, traces of caring enclosure so to say <strong>\u2013<\/strong> for each other and in front of each other. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What today serves as an exhibition space &#8211; the atrium, the cages, the storage and back rooms where the food was prepared &#8211; was originally not designed for the public. Visitors could observe the bears and the care they received from their keepers only from a distance, separated by the moat.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>CHALLENGES OF CARE IN CURATORIAL PRACTICE<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With regard to the current use, it is ultimately also about the question of how we can endorse a careful, non-patronizing form of care at B\u00e4renzwinger as well as in our curatorial approach. Curating derives from the Latin verb <em>curare<\/em>, which means \u201cto care for, to look after\u201d. However, <em>curator<\/em> once also referred to a guardian, administrator or overseer and <em>cura<\/em> could also mean the power to care for persons with mental disorders, in addition to various other meanings. Without delving even deeper into the complex history of terms and law, it becomes clear then that this term, which today refers in particular to the exhibition of art, holds this double-bind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Despite its ambivalence, the title of the exhibition underscores that care is not merely an individual duty, but a collective responsibility, unfolding in a network of mutual relationships. It presupposes the recognition of the other as both in need of and deserving of care. In English, the term \u201cneighbour\u201d also designates the neighbour in an ethical and religious sense. In the age of modernity and contemporary times, though, the viability of an ethics rooted in neighbourly love has repeatedly been criticised, prominently by Theodor W. Adorno and Slavoj \u017di\u017eek. Yet, one might ask if people still encounter each other as neighbours when their relationship is mediated by institutions, thus losing its immediacy.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><strong>Belia Zanna Geetha Br\u00fcckner<\/strong> carries out maintenance work on the building. She works in a room that is actually closed to the public, which <strong>\u2013<\/strong> like the entire interior of the B\u00e4renzwinger in the past <strong>\u2013<\/strong> is not intended for visitors today. She renovated the kitchen, which is also the lounge for the exhibition guides of the B\u00e4renzwinger Gallery <strong>\u2013<\/strong> \u201ccare-taking\u201d in the back office. The special thing about it is that her artistic contribution disappears in the result. It is hardly perceived as such. Care work, especially that of women and FLINTA*, usually remains invisible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Part of Br\u00fcckners <em>Recipes for Freedom<\/em> series will be displayed in the kitchen: recipes for meals that prisoners long to prepare and share with others upon their release. While highlighting the unifying yet sometimes exclusionary nature of food cultures, Br\u00fcckner also draws attention to the alienating mechanisms of our penal and justice system. At the same time, incarceration is framed as a form of societal welfare <strong>\u2013<\/strong><strong> <\/strong>an idea that the work critically examines. Ultimately, the framing serves to obscure deeper social issues from public view. In the B\u00e4renzwinger, visitors can find a recipe by climate activist Margaret. Because of the disruption of the 2023 Snooker World Championship, she is currently held in custody and is awaiting further court proceedings, during which she will have to answer for actions carried out in the context of her climate activism.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>In the central atrium of the bear kennel, visitors encounter <em>Xenoshift<\/em>, a site-specific installation by <strong>Ece Cang\u00fcden<\/strong>, inspired by the architectural intensity of the bars that once enclosed the bears. Deliberately distorted metal rods serve as structural supports for organic forms <strong>\u2013 <\/strong>shapes that evoke a being suspended between dissolution and reconfiguration, in constant motion yet never arriving. Here, even the organic is less a symbol of unity or identity than an abstraction <strong>\u2013 <\/strong>an imprint of an alien, unfamiliar body that has never existed in this form before. Rather than provoking confrontation, Cang\u00fcden\u2019s work invites an experience of openness, suggesting that it is precisely these emerging spaces that create room for empathy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Positioned at the heart of the building, the expansive sculptural elements also allude to the site\u2019s transformation from an animal enclosure to an experimental space for contemporary art. The architecture echoes a past shaped by exclusion, while its new function as a gallery seeks more inclusive pathways <strong>\u2013 <\/strong>engaging in a dialogue with this history. In Cang\u00fcden\u2019s work, the bars shift from barriers of separation to structures of connection and support, prompting a reflection on what sustains, upholds, and divides. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A closer look reveals subtle nuances <strong>\u2013 <\/strong>shading, overlays, scribbles, and the partial removal of colour. In this way, <em>Xenoshift<\/em> navigates the fluid processes of memory and transformation. The installation reflects a fragmented sense of belonging, where recollection is destabilized and the boundaries that dictate who or what belongs where begin to dissolve. What traces remain of the fictitious bodies that pressed themselves too much <strong>\u2013 <\/strong>or not enough <strong>\u2013 <\/strong>into and against these bars? And what is more likely to be deformed: the socially constructed architectures or the individuals forced to conform to them?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><strong>Edna Al-Najar\u2019s<\/strong> und <strong>Elvis Osmanovi\u0107\u2019s<\/strong> artistic positions are located in the cages and are thus placed in the bears\u2019 former refuges. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the joint work <em>Ya Habibi Taala<\/em> \u2013 \u062d\u0628\u064a\u0628\u064a&nbsp;\u062a\u0639\u0627\u0644 \u2013 <em>Aesthetics of Absence<\/em> the artists implement visual juxtapositions and connections. Diptychs transform from concordant structures and forms into dissonant and disparate views: incompatible images tell of seeing or not seeing the results of climate change, regional and global crises, and of a split perception. Who experiences such crises and who only learns of them? Are we still listening to whether our neighbours are okay? Alternating idealised commercial film-aesthetic and documentary footage, the split screen montage is just as reminiscent of personal cognitive dissonance as it is of the question of what is remembered and what fades away in the face of the media&#8217;s communication of events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Alongside the video work, <strong>Edna Al-Najar<\/strong> presents four paintings from her series <em>We Barely Spoke<\/em>, created specifically for the exhibition. In these works, two seemingly unrelated narratives intertwine: the story of the Berlin bears and the artist\u2019s own experience of growing up as a marginalised person in Germany. Al-Najar depicts herself in an intense confrontation with Berlin\u2019s heraldic animal. She thereby addresses political structures, power and exclusion. The paintings move between observation and speculation and call into question what is remembered, what is forgotten and who is permitted to exist freely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Elvis Osmanovi\u0107\u2019s<\/strong> solo work <em>From Sheitan 1 | Digest<\/em>, is a photo series created between 2022 and 2024. In his pictures, he examines the relationship between marginalisation and anonymity. They capture fragmented moments that tell stories of being excluded, but also of shared existence.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"workshop\">Workshop: \u201cTurning Societal Problems into Crimes\u201c<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>Sunday, 16 March 2025,<br>2-4 pm<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>with Belia Zanna Geetha Br\u00fcckner<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Free entry<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Registration is not required.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>On&nbsp;<strong>Sunday, 16 March from 2 to 4 pm<\/strong>, we warmly invite you to write postcards to prisoners with us. The workshop is part of our current exhibition&nbsp;<strong>\u201cIf my neighbour is okay, I&#8217;m okay\u201d<\/strong>. The artist Belia Zanna Geetha Br\u00fcckner, who also designed the postcards, will explain her artistic practice in a discussion with the curatorial team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Part of her series&nbsp;<em>Recipes for Freedom<\/em>&nbsp;is currently on display in the B\u00e4renzwinger. These are recipes for dishes that prisoners would like to cook together with others after their release. For the exhibition, she has selected the letter and recipe of an incarcerated British climate activist. The soup will be prepared and eaten together during the workshop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Writing to someone you don&#8217;t even know can be a bit overwhelming at first. During the workshop, various letters from Br\u00fcckner&#8217;s research and the respective detention backgrounds are read aloud, which makes it easier to relate to the reality of the imprisoned people.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>In this way, the workshop also deals with very fundamental questions: Why is prison an important place of class struggle? What roles do recipes play in the context of communication with prisoners? Particular attention will be paid to the increasing criminalisation of climate activists and the close connection between poverty and penalisation in our society.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The workshop offers space for critical reflection on the justice system and enables new perspectives on social problems that are redefined as criminal offences through direct communication with prisoners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The International Day of Political Prisoners is on 18 March.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"conflict\"><strong>\u201cCurating through Conflict with Care\u201d as special guest at B\u00e4renzwinger<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>Tuesday, 25 March 2025,<br>from 6 pm<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>with Maithu B\u00f9i and Duygu \u00d6rs<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Free entry<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Registration is not required.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>On <strong>Tuesday, 25 March from 6 pm<\/strong>, we warmly invite curators, art and culture professionals and everyone interested to an open evening of discussion with Maithu B\u00f9i and Duygu \u00d6rs. They treat conflict or contradiction as a method to identify and reveal the paradoxes of inclusive curating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Curating through Conflict with Care (CCC) is a research collective founded in 2020 by Ayasha Guerin, Duygu \u00d6rs, Maithu B\u00f9i and Moshtari Hilal. Working and organizing across a multiplicity of languages and borders, they explore the role and responsibilities of curatorial practice which the group understands to be full of contradictions of care. To advance best practices and existing debates, they draw upon contemporary case studies.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>As a work group commissioned by the general member assembly of nGbK they realised a three-day summer symposium&nbsp;in 2023 and in 2024 they launched an online-platform that brings together the results of the gathering and additional materials accessible to all:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/ngbk.de\/en\/diskurs\/curating-through-conflict-with-care-ccc\/ueber-ccc\">https:\/\/ngbk.de\/en\/diskurs\/curating-through-conflict-with-care-ccc\/ueber-ccc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The discourse format in the B\u00e4renzwinger builds on this work and invites participants to contribute their own experiences from working in the cultural sector. There is a particular focus on BIPoC perspectives.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"tour\">Guided tour by the curators (in German)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>Thursday, 3 April 2025,<br>7 pm<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>with Alin Daghestani, Philipp Hennch and Dr. Maximilian Kr\u00e4mer<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Free entry<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Registration is not required.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>On <strong>Thursday, 3 April from 7 pm<\/strong>, we warmly invite all who are interested to a curatorial tour with Alin Daghestani, Philipp Hennch and Dr Maximilian Kr\u00e4mer in the B\u00e4renzwinger. The current exhibition deals with the ambivalences of care and neighbourhood. This evening is not only an opportunity to talk about this topic and learn more about the artistic positions, but also about the work of the municipal gallery itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It is a double look behind the scenes. What today serves as an exhibition space was not originally intended for the public. The bears, and thus the result of this special care, could only be viewed by visitors from the outside, across the moat. At present, however, art is even shown in the kitchen, which is also the lounge for the gallery&#8217;s exhibition guides.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>During the tour, you will find out what this has to do with the topic of care. But also what challenges this listed building poses for the artistic management team, the daily gallery work and, last but not least, the artists. Each work communicates with the location &#8211; exhibiting in a cage changes the context.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We look forward to an open dialogue.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Neighborhood meeting \u00bbCoffee, Cake and Recipes\u00ab<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>Sunday, 13 April 2025, <br>2pm &#8211; 4pm<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Free entry<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Registration is not required.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>The B\u00e4renzwinger invites all neighbours and anyone interested to come along for a cosy Sunday afternoon with free coffee and cake and to exchange recipes with the gallery&#8217;s artistic management team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The current exhibition \u201cIf my neighbour is okay, I&#8217;m okay\u201d deals with the topic of care and the question of where and with whom it begins and ends. The very architecture of the B\u00e4renzwinger \u2013 once an animal enclosure \u2013 echoes a special understanding of care. By engaging with this place, the artists explore different perspectives on neighbourhood and care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Cooking for ourselves and others is a very direct way of expressing care. Who doesn&#8217;t remember the feeling of warmth and comfort that childhood meals evoked, or a soup that was supposed to give us strength when we were ill?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p id=\"rezepte\">But above all, food and food culture connect us \u2013 they create spaces for exchange and strengthen communities. That&#8217;s what we want to celebrate on this special neighbourhood Sunday with coffee and cake. We would be delighted if you could bring along your favourite recipes \u2013 write them down, print them out or simply tell us about the dishes and the story behind them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Under the motto \u201dCoffee, cake and &#8230;\u201d, the B\u00e4renzwinger opens its doors one day per exhibition period for an informal get-together with the neighbourhood.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"asli\">The Tides of Far Spheres: A Lore-Making Performative Game by Asl\u0131 Din\u00e7 (in English and Turkish)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>Saturday, 26 April 2025, 4\u20135 pm (changed starting time)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Free participation<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Registration required at <a href=\"mailto:info@baerenzwinger.berlin\">info@baerenzwinger.berlin<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>What happens when a former dungeon becomes a stage? When rusted metal begins to speak as an oracle? <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In this site-specific roleplaying experience, collective storytelling merges with physical performance. Guided by a Dungeon Master, participants draw handcrafted cards\u2014each one a portal into quests, unfolding in dialogue with Xenoshift, the sculptural installation by Ece Cang\u00fcden.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>Rooted in the Cthulhu Mythos, players navigate speculative histories and bodily memories: whispering, crouching, mirroring\u2014blurring the lines between animal and human, refuge and prison, past and future. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Every gesture is a spell. And the only rule that remains? All boundaries are fictions. Especially the ones we&#8217;ve been taught to call home.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"ecetalk\">Artist Talk with Ece Cang\u00fcden<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>Saturday, 26 April 2025, 5:30 pm<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Free admission<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>No registration required<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>Ece Cang\u00fcden (*1989) is a Berlin-based visual artist originally from Istanbul. Her work delves into themes of memory, transformation, and belonging, where fragmented identities and changing boundaries take center stage. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She studied interior architecture and environmental design. Her almost ten years of professional experience in this field is also apparent in the site-specific installation <em>Xenoshift<\/em> at B\u00e4renzwinger.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>Cang\u00fcden transforms the architectural intensity of the bars once enclosing bears into fluid symbols of connection and support. The organic forms, suspended between dissolution and reconfiguration, invite us to shift our perspective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In her artist talk Cang\u00fcden will share more insights into how her artistic practice began and developed. And she will also explain how the topics of the exhibition \u2013 care, neighbourliness but also alienation \u2013 are aesthetically represented in her work.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Programme during Gallery Weekend<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"talk2\">Artist Talk<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>with <a href=\"#edna\">Edna Al-Najar<\/a> and <a href=\"#elvis\">Elvis Osmanovi\u0107<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sunday, 4 May 2025, <br>2-3 pm<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Free admission<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>No registration required<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>On <strong>Sunday, 4 May from 2 to 3 pm<\/strong>, we warmly invite you to an artist talk with Edna Al-Najar and Elvis Osmanovi\u0107 at B\u00e4renzwinger. In dialogue, they will provide insights into their individual artistic practices, their collaboration and the process of creating their works in the B\u00e4renzwinger. Free admission, no registration required.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"empathy\">\u00bbConsultation Hour of the Ministry of Empathy\u00ab<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>Sunday, 4 May 2025, <br>3:30-5 pm<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Free admission<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Please register under <a href=\"mailto:info@baerenzwinger.berlin\">info@baerenzwinger.berlin<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Spontaneous participation is possible.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>The Ministry of Empathy invites everyone to a consultation in the B\u00e4renzwinger. In half-hour 1:1 sessions, we ask each other questions about the political dimension of care, fears and hopes and the associations they evoke. The language game of speech &amp; response follows a precise choreography. The content is as open as the form is strict. The minister is no smarter than her counterpart and she goes where the journey takes her. Her questions are questions that open up a shared space for thought\u2014she has many of them and no inhibitions about asking them.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>The Ministry of Empathy is a collective that offers empathetic resistance: against the brutalization of language and social coldness. It was founded in 2018 during the conference \u201c\u00c4ngst is now a Weltanschauung\u201d at Ballhaus Ost. Since then, the ministry has been working towards a more caring society with text contributions in numerous media and through events, for example at the literaturforum im brechthaus, the Literatur Colloquium am Wannsee, the Munich Kammerspiele and Volksb\u00fchne. The minister&#8217;s performative speaking hour has been held at literature and theater festivals throughout the German-speaking world.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"finissage\">Slow Finissage<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>Sunday, 18 May 2025, <br>4-7 pm<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Free admission<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>On <strong>Sunday, 18 May from 4 to 7 pm<\/strong>, we warmly invite you to our slow finissage marking the end of <strong>\u201cIf my neighbour is okay, I\u2019m okay\u201d<\/strong>, the spring exhibition within our 2025 program <strong>HANDLE (with) CARE<\/strong>. Take a final look at the artistic works by Edna Al-Najar, Belia Br\u00fcckner, Ece Cang\u00fcden, and Elvis Osmanovi\u0107, and join us for drinks, snacks and conversations with the curators in a relaxed atmosphere.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>Our finissage is part of ICOM\u2019s International Museum Day 2025 under the theme \u201cThe Future of Museums in Rapidly Changing Communities.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We look forward to seeing you!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"edna\"><strong>Edna Al-Najar<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>(* Crailsheim, Germany) is a multidisciplinary artist working in sculpture, video animation, painting and photography. Her work explores themes of resilience, memory, and the interplay of past and future.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>She studied fine arts at the State Academy of Visual Arts in Stuttgart, Germany (graduating in January 2024) with professors Heba Y. Amin, \u00dclk\u00fc S\u00fcng\u00fcn and Reto Boller.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>Al-Najar has exhibited as a solo or group artist at W\u00fcrttembergischer Kunstverein Stuttgart, the Venice Biennale, and the Muslim Contemporary in Vienna amon others. In 2024, she received the Shift scholarship from the Cultural Office of the City of Stuttgart. She was also a fellow of the LABA Berlin fellowship program and was and was featured in the exhibition <em>Mar\u2019a\u2019yeh<\/em> 2024 at K\u00fcnstlerhaus Bethanien.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"belia\"><strong>Belia Zanna Geetha Br\u00fcckner<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>(* M\u00f6nchengladbach, Germany) studied time-based media at the Hochschule f\u00fcr Bildende K\u00fcnste in Hamburg and at Goldsmiths, University of London.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>Her research-based works have been awarded the Karl H. Ditze Prize and the Max Ernst Scholarship, among others, and have been shown in solo and group exhibitions in Hamburg (2023), Prague (2023), London (2023) and Berlin (2024).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>From 2023 to 2024 she was a scholar of the Hamburger Kulturstiftung for the promotion of young artists. She has been a participant of the Berlin program for artists (BPA) since 2025.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"ece\"><strong>Ece Cang\u00fcden<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>(* Istanbul, Turkey), holds a BA in Interior Architecture and Environmental Design from Istanbul Commerce University.<br>She lives and works in Berlin.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>Her selected solo shows include the following: <em>Feral Stations<\/em>, VIABLE (Istanbul, 2024); <em>This Could Be Us but You Playin<\/em>, Porte (Leipzig, 2022); <em>How Are We Going to Live?<\/em>, Sunny Brooks Art Center (Leipzig, 2021); <em>I love disaster and I love what comes after<\/em> SUB (\u00c7anakkale, 2018).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>Cang\u00fcden has participated in group shows such as <em>Mental Imagery of Things, Not Actually Present<\/em>, Summart (Istanbul, 2022); <em>Ameisen und Haufen<\/em> (2021, BSMNT as part of her residency); <em>Last Minutes<\/em> THE POOL (Heybeliada\/Istanbul 2021); <em>Mamut Art Project<\/em> (Istanbul, 2019). Goethe Institute and the Hrant Dink Foundation supported her projects. She has co-founded THE POOL curatorial project in Istanbul.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"elvis\"><strong>Elvis Osmanovi\u0107<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>(* Doboj, SFR Yugoslavia, today Bosnia and Herzegovina) lives and works in Berlin. His multidisciplinary practice, including photography, video, and installations, explores the complexity of social dynamics.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>Themes such as displacement, exile, and trauma are central to his work, inviting viewers to reflect on the multifaceted nature of human experiences and history.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>He studies at the Berlin University of the Arts (UdK) in Hito Steyerl&#8217;s class, which is currently led by Mykola Ridnyi. A joint video work by Osmanovi\u0107 and Al-Najar was shown in the exhibition <em>Mar&#8217;a&#8217;yeh: A Night\u2019s Journey<\/em> in 2024 at K\u00fcnstlerhaus Bethanien.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>with Edna Al-NajarBelia Zanna Geetha Br\u00fccknerEce Cang\u00fcdenand Elvis Osmanovi\u0107 Graphic: Nora Keilig Exhibition 7\/3\/2025 \u2013 18\/5\/2025Extended by two weeks! Curated byAlin Daghestani, Philipp Hennch and Dr. Maximilian Kr\u00e4mer The exhibition \u00bbIf my neighbour is okay, I\u2019m okay\u00ab is the fourth part of the annual programme HANDLE (with) CARE. Events 6\/3\/2025, 6 pmOpening 16\/3\/2025, 2\u20134 pmWorkshop [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":10,"menu_order":136,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"class_list":["post-2863","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","category-handle-with-care"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/baerenzwinger.berlin\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2863","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/baerenzwinger.berlin\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/baerenzwinger.berlin\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/baerenzwinger.berlin\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/baerenzwinger.berlin\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2863"}],"version-history":[{"count":69,"href":"https:\/\/baerenzwinger.berlin\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2863\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3089,"href":"https:\/\/baerenzwinger.berlin\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2863\/revisions\/3089"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/baerenzwinger.berlin\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/10"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/baerenzwinger.berlin\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2863"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/baerenzwinger.berlin\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2863"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}