https://franziskapierwoss.net franziskapierwoss Tue, 24 Feb 2026 12:56:40 +0000 https://franziskapierwoss.net en https://franziskapierwoss.net/HOME Wed, 10 Jun 2020 12:45:46 +0000 franziskapierwoss https://franziskapierwoss.net/HOME NewsTalks & WorkshopsEuropean Media Arts Festival, OsnabrückApril 22nd -26th 2026Im Gespräch mit GeisternSpreepark Art Space, BerlinNov 23rd 2025-Feb 22nd 2026Zwischen Erfinden und Erfassen with Jonas LeifertUrbane Künste RuhrStadtmuseum und Innenhafen, DuisburgAug 22nd-Oct 25th 2025Gastein 74 group showKongressplatz, Bad GasteinJune 26th-Aug 31st 2025Soundtrax for a Bazaarwith Siska Kunst im Untergrund/nGbK, BerlinJune 28th 2025No one is an islandWalking tourGeorg Kolbe Museum, BerlinNov 3rd 2024Zu Gast bei Urbane Künste Ruhrwith Jonas LeifertUrbane Künste Ruhr, BochumSep-Nov 2024Municipal KitchensDinner PerformanceNGBK, BerlinJune-Aug 2024ug 2024How to resist as an artist?Panel Discussion European Media Arts Festival, Osnabrück April 27th 2024Achtung Berlin Festival Film Screening with Kollektiv Nachhaltige KulturBabylon, BerlinApril 12th 2024Markt für nützliches Wissen und Nicht-WissenFluss ohne Ufer, ExpertTheater an der Ruhr, Mühlheim Feb 3rd 2024aBoth Sun & Moon come out to fuck up fascists..Panel Discussion Sophiensaele, Berlin Jan 20th 2024HQ8with Jana EngelZur Nachahmung empfohlen, BerlinJune-July 2023Landscapes of tomorrowPanel with Kollektiv Nachhaltige KulturZNE, Uferhallen, BerlinJune 28th 2023Der Untergang der Stadt Oderberg with Kollektiv Nachhaltige KulturRathausspiele, OderbergJune 24th 2023Das Verlassen der ArbeitTalk with Ho Rui An & Diedrich DiederichsenLiteraturforum Brechthaus, BerlinMay 5th 2023redeem رديم Group ShowMemphis, LinzMarch 28th - April 22th 2023Hellerau Residenz Hellerau, DresdenMarch 20th - March 30th 2023100 Neue Wörter für Zuhause Performance with SiskaLiteraturforum Brechthaus, BerlinSep 1st & 2nd 2022Schools of Sustainabilitywith Jana EngelHaus der Kulturen der Welt, BerlinSep 2021  - Oct 2022Gossip Gossip  Group ShowFeldfünf, BerlinMay 27th - May 29th 2022Distant Divides Group ShowHalle 14,Spinnerei, LeipzigApril 30th - Aug 28th 2022A Casa é Sua: Migração e hos(ti)pitalidade fora do lugarMake Yourself at Home: Displaced ideas on migration and hos(ti)pitality // بيتي بيتكPaco Imperial, Rio de Janeiro, BrazilMarch 30th - June 26th 2022Staple Art Jameel, Dubai, UAEMarch 23th - May 9th 2022MmKino Al Amir Drive In cinema Hopscotch Court Yard, Berlin18 I 19 & 20.3.2022 7.30 pm https://franziskapierwoss.net/The-Youth-of-the-World-Accuses-Imperialism Wed, 28 Jan 2026 16:02:00 +0000 franziskapierwoss https://franziskapierwoss.net/The-Youth-of-the-World-Accuses-Imperialism The Youth of the World accuses Imperialism  performative apéritif commissioned by Spreepark Art Space 2025 The Youth of the World Accuses Imperialism is a dinner performance based on the 10th World Festival of Youth, which took place in Berlin in 1973. Originating from in-depth research on the tribunal “The Youth of the World Accuses Imperialism,” which took place at Humboldt University, the performance brings together former organizers and guests of the 10th Festival and a general audience to engage in a discussion hosted by three experts. At the time, the tribunal addressed highly relevant political issues of the day: the war in Vietnam, racism in the USA and the struggle for peace and independence of the Arab peoples. The focus of the seminars and colloquia, which were held under the heading of the anti-imperialist struggle, was determined in intensive preparation by the International Federation of the World Youth Festival. Characterised by socialist and politically charged language, the seminars provided a platform for speakers from the Global South, representatives of oppressed groups and liberation movements, and young people – and offered participants a valuable opportunity for international exchange. Angela Davis opened the tribunal as chairwoman. Despite this extremely open and tolerant atmosphere during the World Festival, which gave an idea of the freedoms that the SED government granted visitors, it was at the same time a highly contradictory event. Under the code name Aktion Banner, the Stasi mobilised over 4,000 employees. In preparation for the mass events, young people were sent to youth work camps and individuals considered conspicuous were detained. Despite the Stasi's strong presence, the sheer size of the thousands of participants made it virtually impossible to continuously monitor or control the conversations and activities of the young people from the GDR and the international guests. At the Politburo level, the festival was used during the preparations and behind the scenes as a diplomatic playing field for international issues, including the GDR's admission to the United Nations in September 1973. At the time, 26.000 international guests travelled to (East-)Berlin. In preparation of the performance Franziska Pierwoss located and interviewed former delegates and guests of the festival in and outside Germany and listened to extensive hours of audio recordings.    In this complex ambivalence, a conversation with former coordinating secretary Dominique Vidal and audio recordings of the historical speeches of the tribunal's speakers serve as a starting point for a discussion of current political contexts and the relevance of concepts such as international solidarity and anti-imperialist movements. Special guests:  Dominique Vidal (coordinating secretary of the festival)Carl Hofmeister (festival guest from West-Berlin)   Elke Bitterhof (moderator at PLX music club / Volksbühne) Franziska Wiethold (representative of the West German Delegation) Reinhold Otto (festival participant as FDJ member)  Moderators: Lama El Khatib Diana Wesser Research: Karam Ghossein Curator: Sandra Teitge   Sound editing: Christian Blumberg Light: Squat Deluxe Catering: Fleischerei Niemann Photography: Frank Sperling Slideshow: Performative Apéritif on Dec 6th 2025 photography by Frank Sperling Research documents by Dominique Vidal and Zeitbild https://franziskapierwoss.net/Soft-Smoke Wed, 28 Jan 2026 17:36:17 +0000 franziskapierwoss https://franziskapierwoss.net/Soft-Smoke Soft Smoke  Jonas Leifert & Franziska Pierwoss &Installation for public space and exhibition commissioned by Urbane Künste Ruhr 2025 VIDEO LINK The project soft smoke is centred on the history and long-lasting social implications of air pollution in the Ruhrgebiet. Conceived for public space, soft smoke is a cotton candy stall serving grey cotton candy in three flavours: Duisburg’s air, Smog, and coal dust and an exhibition displaying archive material. soft smoke cotton candy stall  For eight weeks, the mobile cotton candy stall moved around Duisburg’s Innenhafen area, serving grey cotton candy to passersby. While the cotton candy was being prepared, the host shared anecdotes about the local history of air pollution and its continuities—such as the citizens’ initiatives in Duisburg-Marxloh in the 1970s, or the recent case of Bottrop residents taking a steel producer to court for polluting their gardens with toxic coal dust. Once the cotton candy was served, the audience was invited to share their own stories. During its exhibition in Duisburg, Soft Smoke received a great deal of interest: countless stories of bitter realities were shared, and younger generations complained about how little these issues are addressed in school. soft smoke exhibitionDuring the years of the economic miracle, the legendary sunsets in the Ruhr region bathed cities in a dark red light. The reason for this was not only dust, ash, and soot, but also high levels of sulfur dioxide in the air. Duisburg had long been a hotspot within the already heavily polluted Ruhr coal district. Due to its location at the confluence of the Rhine and Ruhr rivers, the city hosted an exceptionally large number of coal and steel plants, including the coking plants and smelting works of Thyssen, Krupp, and Mannesmann. Where people lived and the prevailing wind direction played a decisive role in how severely residents were affected by air pollution. Districts such as Marxloh, Hamborn, Neuenkamp, and Hochfeld were particularly exposed because of their proximity to industrial facilities. In the mid-20th century, local air pollution reached such extreme levels that the population suffered from numerous respiratory diseases and increased cancer rates. The smog episode of December 1962 even led to a significantly increased mortality rate. The exhibition invited visitors to conduct their own research. On display were materials from various regional archives, including leaflets from citizens’ initiatives, image brochures from industrial companies, and documentation of atmospheric emissions. What is notably absent from these archives are the voices of those whose health was directly affected—above all, workers with and without German passports, residents living near industrial plants, children, people with pre-existing conditions, and older people Video by Urbane Künste Ruhr Archives:  Afas Archiv, Stadtarchiv Bochum, Stadtarchiv Duisburg, Stadtarchiv Essen, LANUK, Haus der Geschichte des Ruhrgebiets, Ruhrmuseum, WDR Archiv Partner: Kultur- und Stadthistorisches Museum DuisburgCotton Candy stall hosts:  Airbrush: Woge AirbrushdesignDesign: Arc Gestaltung Photography & Video: Siska Slideshow photography by Siska https://franziskapierwoss.net/Soundtrax-for-a-Bazaar Wed, 28 Jan 2026 18:54:33 +0000 franziskapierwoss https://franziskapierwoss.net/Soundtrax-for-a-Bazaar Soundtrax for a Bazaar  Siska & Franziska PierwossIntervention in public space  commissioned by Kunst im Untergrund 2025 Link Video  Soundtrax for a Bazaar revives the vibrant legacy of the Turkish Bazaar at Underground station Bülowstraße, a former meeting place for the Turkish community from 1978 to 1991 with a free live concert in public space. When the U2 Line was interrupted due to the division of Berlin, the bazaar emerged on the inoperative train tracks, housing jewelry shops, wedding boutiques, cassette stores, and tea lounges – a lively meeting point for Berlin’s Turkish community. At its heart was the Gazino, where musicians tested their talents and visitors gathered for unforgettable nights of live music. Inspired by this history, the project collaborates with contemporary music artists Emrah Gökman, Nia2161, DJ NaN and DJ Wahid Paradis who embody Schöneberg’s evolving soundscape. A large-format billboard in the station and a free live concert transforms the space beneath the station into a communal celebration. Juxtaposed against Sony Music’s headquarters, the project reflects on music’s commercialization while reclaiming public space to revive the social and artistic energy that once defined Bülowstraße as a cultural landmark. Soundtrax for a Bazaar can be heard on Refuge Worldwide Line Up: Saturday, 28 June 2025 5-10 pm *Special Guest: Erdal Karayagiz & Bazaar allstars *Nia2161*Key Kauly: Performance in Visual Sign*NaN*Kali Harburg: Poetry in German Sign Languag *Key Kauly: Performance in Visual Sign*Emrah Gökmen & Band*DJ Wahid Paradis Archives:  BVG Archiv, Landesarchiv Berlin, Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg Museum, Ruhrmuseum Design: Arc Gestaltung Sound and Light: Squat Deluxe Photography: Louisa Boeszoermeny Slideshow photography by Louisa Boeszoermeny https://franziskapierwoss.net/No-one-is-an-island Tue, 24 Feb 2026 12:56:40 +0000 franziskapierwoss https://franziskapierwoss.net/No-one-is-an-island No one is an island  Franziska Pierwossperformative walking tour 2024 commissioned by Georg Kolbe Museum in partnership with Bonhoeffer Haus  Franziska Pierwoss designed a performative walk titled No one is an island that begins at the Georg Kolbe Museum and leads to the Bonhoeffer House. Based on documents of Georg Kolbe’s estate, findings in her grandmothers basement, the leaflets of artists Claude Cahun and Marcel Moore as well as Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s involvement in the resistance, the event artistically explores topics such as civil courage, political activism and the limits of individual possibilities for action. The walk was followed by a discussion in the Bonhoeffer House about the current reception of Bonhoeffer’s writings in the USA prior to the upcoming elections, accompanied by a culinary offering from the menu of the former Trump Plaza Hotel in Atlantic City. Archives: Jersey Heritage Video: Siska  https://franziskapierwoss.net/From-the-mountains-of-Fyli Thu, 11 Jun 2020 12:37:16 +0000 franziskapierwoss https://franziskapierwoss.net/From-the-mountains-of-Fyli From the mountains of Fyli dinner performance with Sandra Teitge commissioned by 6th Onassis Fast Forward Festival 2019 From the mountains of Fyli is part of a series of site specific dinner performances focusing on municipal waste managment. Bringing together experts and a general audience over dinner to engage in a debate moderated by a female tv-anchor. Only a few kilometers from the center of Athens, Fyli is competing to be one of the largest landfills for household waste in Europe. Franziska Pierwoss and Sandra Teitge spend a year investigating the Greek waste management system and its multiple components.  The research comprises interviews with experts as well as visits of the Fyli Landfill, one of Europe’s largest landfills and the primary waste depot of Athens and Attica, that has been in operation for decades and continues to receive approximately 6,000 tons of garbage each day; following municipal garbage collectors on their night shift and mapping the routes of informal waste transport through Athens; as well as touring recycling sorting centers For their dinner performance in Athens, Franziska Pierwoss and Sandra Teitge invited a wide range of protagonists from the waste management sector, from public authority figures, workers, and politicians to companies, union representatives, activists, local inhabitants, as well as the general public to become dinner companions over a menu specially conceived for the occasion moderated by local TV moderator Fay Skorda. Guests are invited to discuss the duo’s research in Athens, Thessaloniki and Volos, the role and interplay of the private and public sector, failing recycling regulations, circular economies, possible scenarios for energy recovery from waste, as well as how the issue of waste management links to the upcoming communal election. Franziska Pierwoss and Sandra Teitge – in collaboration with a Greek team of researchers and acclaimed chefs create a platform for exchange that allows for unexpected encounters, discussions, and controversies offering space for a new interpretation and analysis of the current situation. Research Team: Elena Antonopoulou & Tatiana Chani Curator: Katia Afara Chef: Gogo Delogianni & Kostas Sotiriou Moderator: Fay Skorda Photography: Elina Giounanli, Franziska Pierwoss, Sandra Teitge Slideshow: Dinner Performance in Athens on May 15 2019 Research Documentation shows municipal waste transport Athens, sorting facilites in Attica, Lafarge Volos & meetings with various Experts https://franziskapierwoss.net/A-tale-of-trash-mountains-garbage-rivers Thu, 11 Jun 2020 13:45:49 +0000 franziskapierwoss https://franziskapierwoss.net/A-tale-of-trash-mountains-garbage-rivers A tale of trash mountains, garbage rivers and migratory birds dinner performance with Sandra Teitgecommissioned by Sharjah Biennial 13, Beirut 2017 A tale of trash mountains, garbage rivers and mirgratory birds is part of a series of site specific dinner performances focusing on municipal waste managment. Bringing together experts and a general audience over dinner to engage in a debate moderated by a female tv-anchor. Link to video: https://vimeo.com/335809293 In the framework of the ongoing garbage crisis in Lebanon, a crisis that can be read as a potent symbol of the country’s often dysfunctional infrastructure and sectarian politics, Franziska Pierwoss and Sandra Teitge organize a dinner performance that addresses the multiple layers of this situation. Continuing the investigation into global structures of waste management that started in Mexico City in the spring of 2017, the dinner in Beirut equally invites members of the public and experts on this matter to converse over a menu specifically conceived for the context. During this culinary and discursive evening, questions of private and public responsibility, informal and formal economies, as well as associated phenomena such as international waste trade regulations along with affiliated violations will be raised and explored. Franziska Pierwoss and Sandra Teitge personally locate and meet the so-called experts in preparation for these dinners and share the information gathered through these interviews and research during a workshop prior to the dinner with participants who then attend the meal as 'specially informed' public. Foutoun Raad a local female TV journalist known for her in depth reporting during the 2015 garbage crisis led the evening and challenged the guests with informed and pressing questions.In Beirut, due to the relevance of the topic discussions at the tables during the evening were intense and controversial, especially when (previously unannounced) a local TV station started recording the event for national broadcast. In the months leading up to the performance Teitge and Pierwoss were meeting experts in the field of waste managment such as experts of the American University, local municipalities, ministry of environment, council for development and reconstruction, environmental NGOs, social entrepreneurs, investigative journalists, activists, lawyers, engineers and visited facilities treating waste in Saida, Beit Mery and Beirut. The menu in collaboration with local chef Joanna Debbas is reflecting on the waste crisis by serving highly polluted local produce. The traditional fish dish siyadiye is prepared with local fish which is loaded with mercury as a result of the ongoing waste crisis.   photography: Marwan Tahtah, Sandra Teitge https://franziskapierwoss.net/Un-cuento-de-Basura Wed, 10 Jun 2020 14:49:43 +0000 franziskapierwoss https://franziskapierwoss.net/Un-cuento-de-Basura Un cuento de Basura  dinner performance with Sandra Teitge  Museo Universitario Arte Contemporáneo, Mexico City2017 Un cuento de basura is the first edition of a series of site specific dinner performances focusing on municipal waste managment. Bringing together experts and a general audience over dinner to engage in a debate moderated by a female tv-anchor. In the context of Mexico City, a city that produces extreme levels of waste and in which, as a result, official and unofficial ‘waste management’ economies have emerged and co-exist, Pierwoss & Teitge are developing a dinner performance for the Museo Universitario Arte Contemporáneo (MUAC) that will address the ambiguity of this situation. During the culinary as well as discursive evening, questions of the local demands of organic waste management, informal economies, and waste crime in the city along with their social, political, and economic importance will be addressed. Around a menu, specifically conceived for this context, invited experts from all the above mentioned fields together with the audience are invited to converse over dinner. The invited experts came from all different fields of waste management such as the union of waste transport, the ministry of environment, the city council's waste department, researchers in informal work, urbanists, waste truck drivers, recycling entrepreneurs and waste pickers among others. The event was moderated by local news anchor Maria Alejandra Molina who brought up questions of economic structures, political corruption and labour conditions. The Dinner was held on Thursday, March 2nd, Auditorio Museo Universitario Arte Contemporáneo, Mexico City with 60 guests seated at 6 tables. The 4 course dinner was prepared so that all leftovers of one course would be recycled during the meal in another course. https://franziskapierwoss.net/Soupe-au-cochon Wed, 10 Jun 2020 17:43:11 +0000 franziskapierwoss https://franziskapierwoss.net/Soupe-au-cochon Soupe au Cochon performance with tasting & conversationcommissioned by Intervision Ballhaus Ost, Berlin 2015 During the performance Soupe au cochon a traditional pork soup is handed out to the audience whilst its use in french soup kitchen organized by extreme-right groups is the subject of a conversation with the artist. The soupe au cochon that is offered to the audience in plastic bowls was subject of a wide public debate in France starting in 2004 when the so-called SDF (Solidarite des Francais), a group affiliated with the extreme-right Bloc Identitaire, was offering the traditional french dish in their public soup kitchen to serve the homeless in Paris at Gare de l'Est. Soon the fact that by using a porc based recipe the group intentionally excluded people of muslim and jewish faith lead to a public outcry and the free Soupe au Cochon was temporarily banned from the streets of paris. But the order was revised by the administrative tribunal in Paris since a 'recipe cannot be deemed discriminatory as such' until the European Court of Human Rights finally prohibits handing out the soup in 2009. But the SDF as well as similar associations have been continuouisly serving the gaulois recipe in their soup kitchens in various french cities since. Photography: Franziska Pierwoss, google image search, Mathias Jud https://franziskapierwoss.net/Mexikaner-fur-alle Tue, 15 Sep 2020 20:08:20 +0000 franziskapierwoss https://franziskapierwoss.net/Mexikaner-fur-alle Mexikaner für alle tasting and conversation commissioned by Zukunftsland 2099 at alpha nova & Galerie Futura 2019 Mexikaner für alle is a tasting and a performance on questions of the current property situation in Berlin’s inner city limits. The drink ‘Mexikaner’ is made of rye grain liquor, tomato juice, Tabasco and Maggi and was allegedly invented by a Hamburg bartender in St. Pauli. The cocktail served in a shot glass has been a regular part of most Berlin’s corner bars menus since the 1990s. At a moderate price it is also served in most bars in the so-called Schillerkiez in Neukölln. Very few areas in Berlin have undergone a change as radical in the past ten years as the area located between Herrmannstraße and the Tempelhofer Feld. New luxury developments such as the real estate project 12053 have been erected facing the social housing complexes of the Rollberg quarter. Franziska Pierwoss is inviting the audience to a discussion with residents of the area on questions of forced evictions, innovative property developments, political responsibility and the tragic power of state aids. Photography: Ali El Darsa