Haus am Kleistpark - Berlin

Remained. Remembered. Seen. Silenced. An investigation. Maria Sewcz uses photography to explore the legacy of her families of origin, the few images, documents and found objects that have survived the passage of time in a random and fragmentary collection. She displays photographs of places of residence and landscapes, of objects belonging to her ancestors that are worth preserving, which she compares with her own memories. It is about material and aura, description and fiction, retrospective and self-questioning against the backdrop of a comprehensive context, of history. Maria Sewcz presents draft narratives that incorporate the gaps in what has been handed down and attempt to interpret them freely.

The Berlin-based artist Wataru Murakami, who was born in Japan and grew up in Canada and the USA, photographs deserted places, barely noticed details and traces of movement. In the exhibition Dispersion, the artist explores his sense of self and the concept of belonging. He scrutinises his identity - both as an individual and as an artist - in the context of his surroundings and reflects on inner conflicts. Through visual interventions such as overpainting and fragmentation, Murakami develops his own visual language in which the visible simultaneously refers to something hidden - an alternative reality that reveals itself beneath the surface.

Berlin artist Loredana Nemes is exhibiting four cycles at Haus am Kleistpark under the title “Haut und Holz“ (Skin and Wood), which she has created since 2019. In them, she explores the themes of nature, love and rootedness, accompanying some of her photographic works with poetic texts. With her latest series “Sicilia“ (2024–25), on display for the first time in Germany, the artist focuses on the diverse bond between humans and nature by portraying Sicilians and their favourite trees on her travels. In the work “Immergrün“ (2020), she explores the question of how photography can visualise decades of love. How can the spiritual and physical kinship of lovers be expressed? The cycles “Graubaum and Himmelmeer“ (2019–23) and “White“ (2024) are an ode to the tree and its beauty throughout all seasons. Both of the latter series also refer to the region of Transylvania, where Loredana Nemes was born and which she had to leave in 1986 at the age of 13 for political reasons.