NEW GALLERY EXHIBITION – OPENING: TEXTILE MEMORIES

This gallery exhibition centers on the textile installation by artist Varvara Keidan Shavrova, born in Soviet Russia and now living in England and Ireland. The installation features eight screen-printed felt blankets, each depicting images from her family photo album. This social and performative artwork invites interaction: visitors are encouraged to touch the blankets or drape them over their shoulders.

Juxtaposed with the artwork are historical objects from the Documentation Centre's collection, including a tablecloth from East Prussia, a bedspread from Bohemia, and a small table cover from Brandenburg.

Textiles such as blankets, tablecloths, handkerchiefs, traditional costumes, coats, cloaks, scarves, and throws are poignant witnesses to hardship and suffering. They serve as relics of loss and deprivation, embodying the deeply human desire to connect with warmth, familiarity, and family. These objects offer a sense of solace against the painful experiences of displacement, loneliness, and uprootedness.

Varvara Keidan Shavrova’s work speaks to these shared experiences of millions of refugees, displaced persons, and emigrants, resonating with their enduring stories.

VERNISSAGE

Saturday, February 1 2025, 4.30 p.m., gallery, 1st upper floor, Documentation Center for Displacement, Expulsion, Reconciliation, Berlin

DURATION

February 1 2025 – November 16 2025

PROGRAMME

Welcome

Dr. Gundula Bavendamm, Direktorin Documentation Center for Displacement, Expulsion, Reconciliation

Film Discussion

Varvara Keidan Shavrova, Künstlerin und Kuratorin, London

Kathrin Becker, Künstlerische Direktorin, KINDL – Center for Contemporary Art, Berlin

FURTHER INFORMATION

Opening: 4.30 p.m.

Language: The event will be held in English.

FREE ADMISSION

REGISTRATION REQUIRED