From Sept. 16 to Sept. 21, IMPORT/EXPORT, a Creative Europe project, founded by a collective of 6 independent artists in collaboration with Berlin’s Flutgraben e.V., activates the city’s architectural sites with 10 live works by international and local artists, workshops, residencies and architecture-panels, and 2 performance evenings open to the public of Berlin-Kreuzberg.
IMPORT: PERFORMANCES
20 September (17:00 to 23:00), 21 September (18:30 to 23:00)
Free entrance
EXPORT: WORKSHOPS AND ACTIVITIES
16 – 20 September (various times)
Free entrance
Following its first rendition in Livorno, Italy, in September 2023, IMPORT/EXPORT brings its performative explorations of art and architecture to Berlin’s self-organised cultural space, Flutgraben e.V., located right in the heart of the famous ‘Arena’ district bordering Berlin-Kreuzberg. The event will present a diverse program of performance art, crossing Queer works, site-specific performance, anti-gentrification and ecological practices, and performative architectures. The program is augmented by a presentation of the history of the building from a local historian, and a panel discussing issues of gentrification and rights to the city. International performers include artists from Australia, Ukraine, and Spain, with a specific focus on the host regions of Livorno and Belgrade, Serbia.
IMPORT/EXPORT was co-founded in 2022 by 6 independent artists: Maria Novella Tattanelli, Tiina Lehtimäki, Enrico L’Abbate, Aleksander Zain, Sharon Estacio, Darius Bogdanowicz. The initiative’s choice of Berlin as its second location was made with the support of the European Union and the collaboration of project partner Flutgraben e.V., acknowledging the city’s unique place in urban and performance cultures and Flutgraben’s unique location at a former site of the Berlin Wall. The first European event of IMPORT/EXPORT took place September 2023 in Livorno, Italy, in collaboration with lead project partner mowan teatro. The final event of this phase will take place September 2025 in Belgrade, Serbia in collaboration with project partner U10 Art Collective. IMPORT/EXPORT is a practice-based transnational project that ignites cultural exchange with new communities through live artwork and encouraging strong international partnerships. A curatorial handbook will be published and distributed at the end of this first cycle of the project (2026) following the project’s movement to Serbia in 2025.
IMPORT
Friday, Sept. 20, 17-23.00 & Saturday, Sept. 21, 18:30 – 23:00
free entry
…a kaleidoscopic, two-day Performance Art event that brings new perspectives to the Flutgraben e.V space through live artwork.
10 international artists give voice to the present in performances that resonate with the spatial ecosystem of Flutgraben e. V and its historical, geographical and sociological context within the city of Berlin, as well as reflecting on critical themes of this millennium: environment, motherhood, freedom, representation, human rights.
EXPORT
Monday, Sept. 16 to Friday, Sept. 20, various times.
free entry
…artist residencies, workshops, symposia and activities within Flutgraben, featuring local and international artists, curators and theoretical experts.
EXPORT creates dialogue between communities, enriching artists’ research, generating content for new events and performances, so that each IMPORT/EXPORT event is not isolated but rather connected in an ever-growing and evolving community.
A special podium discussion will be held on the topic of space accessibility, gentrification and transformation, led by Open/Occupy and moderated by independent artist/curator Mikala Hyldig Dal.
A lecture on Flutgraben e.V.’s history will be led by local historian Christine Brecht (Interdisciplinary Women’s and Gender Studies, Technical University of Berlin).
A workshop on Queer Materialism will be conducted by Olympia Bukkakis and a workshop exploring the concept of “genius loci” will be led by Thomas Proksch.
Every evening Sept. 16 – Sept. 18 from 20:00, Flutgraben e.V. and IMPORT/EXPORT host AFTERHOURS sessions at the end of the day’s activities, offering a meeting space for the international and local community to continue the exchange and sharing of experiences throughout the event week.
Program:
Queer Materialism
moderated by Olympia Bukkakis (GR/DE)
Sept. 16 (17:00 to 20:00)
Flutgraben e.V.
In English
Aimed at a diverse audience, participants will emerge with new characters and a heightened awareness of gender dynamics embedded in everyday objects and spaces. A workshop on drag improvisation to create movement exploration and character development, new personalities and material for performance through the practices of costume design.
Lecture on the history of Flutgraben e.V.
Led by historian Christine Brecht (DE) with a guided tour by Matthias Krause Hamrin
Sept. 17 (14:30 to 16:00)
Flutgraben e.V.
In English
This lecture is aimed at participants interested in Berlin’s urban history (Flutgraben’s artists, the Treptow neighborhood, artists and urban planners etc.). Drawing on experiences in Berlin’s transitional processes before and after reunification, Brecht contextualizes Flutgraben in the city’s broader historical narrative.
Spirits of Places
Led by Thomas Proksch (AT/DE)
Sept. 17 (17:00 – 20:00), Sept. 18 (17:00 – 20:00)
Flutgraben e.V.
In English
Open to all artists and Treptow residents, the workshop explores the concept of “genius loci,” the protective spirit of a place in Roman mythology, investigating its manifestation in the imagination and its impact amidst colonialism and industrial capitalism.
OFF PROGRAM
space of (not) free expression
by Anna Shevchenko (UKR)
Sept. 17 (17:00 – 20:00), Sept. 18 (17:00 – 20:00)
Flutgraben e.V.
In English
The audience comes together in a shared space where dialogue is possible through exchanging handwritten texts and interactions with them.
With a final presentation on Wednesday 18.09 between 17.00-20.00.
“Bodies in Alliance – Towards a Solidarity-based Politics of Space” Panel and Workshop
With: Florian Wüst (author and researcher), Sonja Hornung (artist, activist and founder of Kunstblock), housing rights activists from Deutsche Wohnen & Co Enteignen, Mikala Hyldig Dal (artist, activist and founder of Open/Occupy Flutgraben)
Sept. 20 (17:00 to 18:30)
Flutgraben e.V. In English
Open to artists, scholars, teachers
Inspired by Judith Butler’s “Bodies in Alliance and the Politics of Streets”, experts, artists and cultural workers come together on the topic of space accessibility, gentrification and transformation processes.
AFTERHOURS
From Sept. 16 – Sept. 18 (20:00 to 22:00)
On the central days of the event, Flutgraben e.V. and IMPORT/EXPORT host Afterhours at each day’s end, open to the international and local community to continue the exchange and sharing of experiences made.
Participation in workshops and panels is free of charge. To sign up, please send an email to info@importexportperformance.com with the subject “EXPORT- name of workshop/panel”
