You Know That You Are Human @ POINTS of RESISTANCE 5

The exhibition “You Know That You Are Human @ POINTS of RESISTANCE 5” in Berlin’s Zionskirche is a joint statement by artists and curators from Ukraine and Berlin for peace and an alliance of all people who condemn Russian’s war of aggression on Ukraine as a culture break.

The origin of the joint exhibition is the exhibition of Ukrainian photographers â€œYou Know That You Are Human” curated by Kataryna Filyuk. She is the winner of the international exhibition support program â€œVisualize” of the Ukrainian Cultural Institute, supported by the Goethe Institute and the Goethe Institute in Exile. The joint exhibition is a co-production of IZOLYATSIA/ Ukraine as well as MOMENTUM and Points of Resistance / Berlin.

Especially during the Christmas season, this exhibition wants to show that it is up to each individual in their daily activities, that this war in Europe does not escalate but is ended, that the freedom and independence of Ukraine is secured, that the destruction is repaired and that Putin and his Warmongers to be convicted in an international court.

This joint exhibition of international artists in the Zionskirche wants to help us never forget, “You know, that you are human / You know that you are a human being”, both among ourselves and in the middle of the war.

Whether as a religious person, whether as a Christian – whether Catholic, Protestant or follower of the Orthodox Church – or as a follower of a completely different religion or as a non-religious person: everyone is welcome in the Church of Zion. The pastor and the congregation of the Zion Church very consciously also offer art a protective space, because religion and art have a common root in human spirituality.

Especially in view of Berlin’s painful history, the Zionskirche is also a special place for joint messages from the church and artists and cultural workers. The courageous work of the theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer during the Nazi era and also the resistance movement “Environmental Library” during the times of the former GDR are connected with him.

“Points of Resistance” is an exhibition series initiated by KLEINERVONWIESE and MOMENTUM during the deepest Corona shutdown in 2021, which offers a platform for humanistic and democratic attitudes. The previous editions of this series of exhibitions in the Zionskirche were entitled “POINTS of RESISTANCE / S-O-S”, “Paradoxes of Freedom”, Stefan Rinck “Großer Lastenbär / Why I bear” and “Skills for Peace”.

Since the outbreak of the Corona crisis, forces have been and are being pooled again and again to continue art exhibitions in the Zionskirche. Because especially in times like these, nothing is more important than art and culture to mobilize the forces that are needed to put a stop to ignorance and indifference, authoritarianism and nationalism, racism and war worldwide.

“You Know That You Are Human” was originally an exhibition by 21 Ukrainian photographers, curated by Kateryna Filyuk, who show humanity in its diversity and thus also, such as gender or cultural and social context, as well as socialization and the individual location of everyday life define human position in the world. The concept for this exhibition was created before the Russian invasion of Ukraine. It was about Ukrainian photography of human life forms from the mid-20th century to the present day. The title is borrowed from the famous poem by the Ukrainian poet Vasyl Symonenko from the 1960s: Ти знаєш, що ти – людина / You know that you are human. Part of the official school curriculum in Ukraine, it depicts the life and uniqueness of each individual and encourages cherishing every moment of life. Today – during Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine – these simple but powerful verses call for humanity, solidarity and cohesion with particular urgency. They remind us once again that despite the elusive monstrosity of war, every life counts. The works of the Ukrainian photographers also provide an interesting insight into the changes that have taken place in Ukrainian society since the 1960s, from the years when the dream of socialism gradually proved to be a failure until the last few months of the self-sacrificing struggle of the Ukrainians for their country.

The current joint exhibition “You Know That You Are Human @ POINTS of RESISTANCE” as the 5th edition of POINTS of RESISTANCE in the Zionskirche in Berlin brings together, in addition to the photographic works from Ukraine, a variety of artistic voices and uses different media to create an artistic dialogue about the works of Ukrainian photographers.

In addition to works by international artists who work and live in Berlin, works by very young Ukrainian artists who were able to flee from the current war and who have currently found refuge in the “UCC” in Berlin will also be shown. The “UCC” / “Ukrainian Cultural Collective” in Berlin’s Leibnizstrasse is the result of the exemplary, social commitment of a number of Berlin entrepreneurs who have created a kind of “art shelter” here to give young Ukrainian artists and creative people a new basis and perspective.

Like every exhibition in the “Points of Resistance” series in the Zionskirche, “You Know That You Are Human @ POINTS of RESISTANCE 5” shows diverse human perspectives and artistic universes that make reflection on mistakes and possibilities of the past and present visible in order to create common To help preserve values ​​for a peaceful future. Values ​​that all peoples today regard as a basic human right, for which past generations have repeatedly made great sacrifices.

The exhibition will take place from December 3, 2022 to January 7, 2023 in the Zionskirche and is not least a refusal of powerlessness. We can all very well do something. Every single one. Every day. And if only by taking part and also giving. By not looking the other way, but by helping those who have lost everything or are discouraged. By standing up every day against forgetting and against indifference.

Artists:

You Know That You Are Human:

Valentyn Bo, Aleksander Chekmenev, Maryna Frolova, Oleksander Glyadyelov, Paraska Plytka Horytsvit, Borys Gradov, Alena Grom, Viktor and Sergey Kochetov, Yulia Krivich, Sasha Kurmaz, Viktor Marushchenko, Sergey Melnitchenko, Boris Mikhailov with Mykola Ridnyi, Valeriy Miloserdov, Iryna Pap, Evgeniy Pavlov, Roman Pyatkovka, Natasha Shulte, Synchrodogs, Viktoriia Temnova, Mykola Trokh

POINTS of RESISTANCE 5:

Borys Artiukovych, Lutz Becker, Andreas Blank, Viki Berg, Karol Broniatowski,Kerstin Dzewior, Louisa Dzevior, Mahsa Foroughi, Sofia Golubeva, Chris Hammerlein, Gregor Hildebrandt, Christian Jankowski, Gita Kurdpoor, Maria Lutsak, Iris Musolf, Anastasia Pasechnik, Somari Ptichka, Stefan Rinck, Antony Reznik, Nina E. Schönefeld, Deborah Sengl, Caroline Shepard, Marta Vovk, Patricia Waller, Sofiia Yesakova

Opening: 3 December 2022 at 2pm – 6pm

Exhibition: 4 December 2022 – 7 January 2023

Address: At Zionskirche, Zionskirchplatz, 10119 Berlin Mitte