Happy Birthday to KUNSTASYL
[…]" Like many other people in Germany, we wonder about the situation we are in. We’re in this together: you, the people who came here and us, who live here. You are here because you had to leave your country or wanted to leave it. Germany is trying hard to protect you. A solid roof over everyone’s head, a bed. That’s a lot but not enough.”
Most of the time us, who live here, have no possibility to actually get to know you. But if we don’t get to know each other, we cannot form relationships, we will never hold a conversation, there will never be an exchange and no possibility to actually share our lives for a while. This is why we are here: We want to get to know you. You, the person you are, your story, your life experience, your knowledge and your abilities. We are artists and designers and we’d like to actually DO something, together with you. Besides, we’d like to learn from you.” […]
The above text is an abstract of what we said on February 24, 2015, after Gordon Grunwald, the then director had invited us to the home for asylum seekers at Staakener Strasse, Berlin-Spandau. We – that is barbara caveng, Aymen Montasser, Therry Kornath and Till Rimmele.
We may have forgotten about these words; however, they came along with us for the last three years and with everything we did. Until this day, they have been with us. Until this day, they are valid with regard to everything KunstAsyl.
All through 2015 and 2016, I, barbara, would describe KUNSTASYL is “based upon agony.” When the wave of deportations to the Balkan countries, Kosovo and Albania set in, when we lost friends and had to admit our powerlessness, Aymen Montasser expressed his thoughts in an ode:
“Starting with simple words: everyone wonders, if Aymen has changed - Je commençerais par des mots simples: tout le monde se demande que Aymen a changé.
It is hard to recognize you, is what they say, friends, family, the brother, even KUNSTASYL – my family says that what I am doing is wrong; I should consolidate myself, start a family. Even Barbara with her orange hair told me “your skin looks different. You seem more alive. You don’t drink any alcohol, do you?” Dachil misses the terrorist inside of me and says “you have changed.” My friends call me, looking for the Aymen they once knew. He is nowhere to be found.
It’s as easy as that, my friends: the HOME changes – who does not change???
There was Ruschka, the beauty, the flower, she left me with Milan towards Novi Sad. Of course, that changed me …
Waiting for Zain to smile, to right my soul every day … of course that changed me; little Hamouda, who told me that now he knows where Tunisia is located, of course I have changed; I can’t think of any human being that is not changed by it. Do you??
[…] Zineta and Melisa, both the love of my life … I think of them every day; the woman’s awesome soul, my ‘Nena’ … and Melisa who would say to Dachil “Daddy, I love you.”
How can you possibly ask whether I have changed – of course I have!
[…] two couples who saw me this morning in the garden next to the plants said “we’re sorry.” They did not believe, that I am a “Big MAN“. They thought I am a refugee.
HAHAHAHAHA … of course I have changed over time … I am a refugee now … my friends, barbara, my family.” (see kunstasyl.net/1-og/daheim/ode-an-kunstasyl-ode-a-kunstasyl/ for the ode by Aymen Montasser in full length).
Dachil Sado, who co-determined the development of KUNSTASYL from its first day until today, puts it as follows:
“It was for the very first time that I came across the purpose of art. Then I understood the right to artistic expression. At the time, I lived with Hameed Safi from Afghanistan. After three years - without Hameed being able to plan a future - he found himself relocated from the dormitory at Staakener Straße to the container village at [the airport area of] Tempelhof. I wonder if the city of Berlin considers these MUFs, these isolated villages, to be political, social or spatial progress? For me, it seems to be a similar movement as when – after years – people from the Balkans were deported to their country of origin, which had become alien to many of them.
What happens to people after losing so many years of their lifetime?”
The history and development of KUNSTASYL can be traced on our website: Our first year - the apprenticeship in the home - spending summer in the 'flourishing utopia garden', our second year, when we created a daHEIM in the special exhibition rooms of the Museum of European Cultures. There too, the boundaries between life and art became blurry.
On July 1, 2017, we said goodbye to the MEK with the 7-hour performance THE KINGS - UTC 7 hours parallel performances.
The cooperation with the emergency shelter at Mertensstraße, our ASYLUM for six months while producing the KINGS, led to the founding of the label GRUNDAUSSTATTER (basic outfitters), which deals with aesthetic basic human needs.
In August 2017, In August 2017, THE KINGS’ performers founded KOMPANIE - a collective that develops its artistic content with a focus on performance and participatory art:
"After the first month of rehearsal at BLO Studios, the performers of KOMPANIE face the perspectives of 2018. Through increased project reference, through bodywork and lively discussions a collective awareness of the common body, its identities and its logic come into being." This is what Leandra Balliel writes.
Over the past three years KUNSTASYLhas had the opportunity to exchange ideas with domestic and foreign projects. We were invited to conferences and seminars, and we were accompanied by numerous students and scientists. We have entered into various cooperation and our work has been supported by many different institutions and foundations, by private and public authorities. Thank you all.
Back then, on 24th of February 2015, we said: "Our project has a name: KUNSTASYL. This is how we named it, because art invites everyone to rethink the world."
We want Iyas Sari, performer of KINGS and founding member of KOMPANIE, to speak last on the occasion of our birthday:
"Longing for our shared time together - work, effort, tiredness - but full of love, we had a reason to dream for a long time. There has been a lot of work, raving, laughter, and finally we sang our song together, like never before: Hand in hand, eye to eye and a shared heart. We have experienced many different souls and our feelings have whispered to us not to say goodbye, not to give up each other and to sing on. We want to keep singing our song around the world as loud as we can. We just dreamed that we have a common goal. KOMPANIE is our dream, between its letters hides love, loyalty and joy. Because ... life is worth it."
See here for the song, Melisa’s song and THE KINGS trailer.
See you soon!
KUNSTASYL / DIE KÖNIGE/ DIE GRUNDAUSSTATTER/ DIE KOMPANIE
PS: Aymen Montasser finally fulfilled his family’s wish and has "settled down": On November 9, 2017, Aymen became the father of his daughter Yoko; on December 8, Aymen and Anna got married. On March 16, 2018, BIG MAN Aymen will receive his German citizenship. There you go! Congratulations!
At December 1 2015, Melisa celebrated her 10th birthday in company of her family in the salon of the Heimes in Staakener Straße. In the background Dachil Sado.
24.2.2015: kick off event in the Heim in Staakenerstraße Spandau. barbara caveng, Aymen Montasser, Till Rimmele and Therry Kornath introduce themselves. on the right, Dachil Sado, wearing ablack jacket. He had joined to learn: "What do they want? Will they bother us?"
on february 24 2016 Kumrjie Isufi celebrated KUNSTASYL's first birthday.... Few months ater Kumrije submerged with her children - her application for asylum had been rejected and she was asked to leave Germany.
Serdar Yousif joined KUNSTASYL from february 24, 2015 until may 2016. His last work was the realisation of a huge wallpainting in the Museum Europäischer Kulturen, MEK in the frame of the exhibition project 'daHEIM:glances into fugitive lives'. after 16 months of longing his family finally landed in Germany. Serdar moved to Dortmund and is living today in Herne.
Hameed celebrating his 25. birthday.
Dachil Sado, barbara caveng, Aymen Montasser
'friendly take over' of 550 sqm exhibition space of the MEK by KUNSTASYL on 4 march 2016.
Leandra Balliel and Basim Suleiman at a a rehearsel of the DIE KOMPANIE