Exhibition Opening

Once We Were Trees, Now We Are Birds is a collaborative project created by the Martin Roth-Initiative, one of the largest programmes advocating for the protection of artists and cultural practitioners from around the world, in cooperation with the ifa Gallery Berlin and the Goethe-Institut in Exile. The exhibition’s title refers to a story from southeastern Turkey’s coastal region, in which doves sing, “Oh my neighbour, oh wild olive tree, once we were trees, now we are birds.” This poetic transformation provides a framework for explorations of belonging, rootlessness and the search for new beginnings in unfamiliar landscapes.

The exhibition at the ifa Gallery and the festival at the Goethe-Institut in Exile present for the first time a broad selection of works by artists who have found a safe haven in Germany with the support of the Martin Roth-Initiative. Both the exhibition and the festival programme are curated by former scholarship holders. Participating artists originate from numerous countries, including Afghanistan, Egypt, Bangladesh, Belarus, Brazil, India, Iran, Marrocco, Myanmar, Pakistan, , Russia, Sudan, Turkey, Uganda and Ukraine.