Visit the Documentation Centre for Displacement, Expulsion, Reconciliation and you’ll see first-hand testimonies of the forced migrations of the 20th century. But even now in the present, it’s a topic that cannot be relegated to history – all the more reason to attend the Centre’s open house on 22.06.2025, where you can discover the historical precedents to the current climate. If the subject sounds gloomy, the event certainly is not: the free program includes hands-on sessions, live performances, thoughtful talks and child-friendly entertainment on the topic of movement and transition. Highlights include a workshop on researching your family history, body percussion classes for little ones and a Ukrainian folklore and jazz concert with Ukrainian musician Ganna Gryniva. There’s also a chance to get artistic with comic booklet-making with illustrator Ami Bogin (drop-in).
Besides activities, there are free guided tours of the Centre’s current exhibitions. Particularly worth a visit is the Textile Memories collection of blankets by Soviet-born artist Varvara Keidan Shavrova, who presents textiles as providers of warmth and familiarity in times of displacement. The doors of the Centre will be open 10–18h with all-day drinks and food courtesy of Kreuzberger Himmel, who are serving up vegan kibbeh. The event’s blend of archive testimony and current realities serves as a reminder: our reckoning with displacement is far from over.
Text: Benji Haughton / Photos: Juliane Eirich, Rory Grubb
Documentation Centre for Displacement, Expulsion, Reconciliation, Stresemannstr.90, 10963 Berlin–Kreuzberg; map
Open House, 22.06.2025 10–18h (no ticket required)
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