Culture Program

The culture program is an essential part of the Asia-Pacific Weeks. Below, you can find descriptions, locations, and dates of all events, shows, and exhibitions that are part of the program.

Video Installation at Humboldt Forum

Yin Yang Su Wha - Video-Installation

Our present is networked; computers and social media penetrate nearly every facet of our daily lives. This digital reality alters our work, our relationships, our understanding of ourselves and how our bodies relate to their new virtual environment.
Exclusively for the occasion of the Asia-Pacific Weeks 2017 and its theme of “Digitalization”, the South Korean artist Chan Sook Choi, with her video piece Yin Yang Su Wha, seeks to explore the material and the immaterial, the value of traditional philosophy and its contemporary interpretation, and the interface of nature and culture, and of technology and art. In the 12-minute loop video, the artist engages with the Yin-Yang and Five Elements theory and the digital world of our present. The video shows movements, figures, and patterns that resolve in 12-second intervals change into other forms and regenerate themselves anew.
During the opening ceremony of the APW, the video installation will be shown as a cultural contribution. It will be accompanied by the performance of the Spanish choreographer Ms. Rosabel Hughet. Together, they connect the five elements and the yin-yang theory with the digitalization of today.

Venue: East façade of the Humboldt Forum
Unter den Linden 3, 10117 Berlin
Date: May 15th to 18th

Chinese Culture Festival

Together with the APFB, Bambuspforte e.V. (Society for German-Chinese Culture Exchange) will hold the fifth Chinese Culture Festival Berlin during the APW. Through ten events, this year’s festival will foster the exchange between German and Chinese theater enthusiasts. Assorted theater and orchestra ensembles will present parts of the traditional and modern Chinese culture live on stage.
The theme of this year’s Culture Festival is the so-called “Fourth Wall”. This is the imagined barrier between the stage and the audience. There are different theories about how this wall can be breached. The festival will not only discuss this wall but also will try to answer questions regarding the barriers between cultures. Where are the differences and similarities and how can imagined walls be breached?
The events of the Chinese Culture Festival are listed below. All shows will have German subtitles. Reservations can be made at [email protected]

Opening Gala

The Opening Gala of the Festival will include Chinese live music and a buffet.

Venue: Admiralspalast Berlin (Studio)
Friedrichstraße 101, 10117 Berlin
Date/Time: Tuesday, May 18th, 6 pm – 10 pm

Concert: “Reflections at the Beigu Mountain”

China is an always evolving country. Facing this rapid change, the traditional music has to adapt continuingly. The women’s orchestra of Zhenjiang is confronting traditional melodies and folk music with contemporary context and thereby tries to breach the barrier between the past and today.

Venue: Heilig-Kreuz-Kirche
Zossener Str. 65 10961 Berlin
Date: Saturday, May 20th, 8 pm

Theater: “The Snuffbox”

Beijing Quju theater is a very special form of theater originated in Beijing. It combines artistic elements of singing, speaking and acting with the local Beijing dialect. The theater is popular since more than 20 years.
The traditional play “The Snuff Bottle” is well known and popular across China. It tells the story of the Nie family, lives in the Beijing of the Qing-dynasty (19th century). Those are troubling times for craftsmen, so their life is prevailed by grief and sorrow, strength and weakness, but also by happiness and joy.

Venue: Admiralspalast (Studio)
Date/Time: Sunday, May 21st, and Monday, May 22nd, 7 pm

Theater: “Annas Secret”

The play “Annas Secret” is part of the “Trilogy of Secrets” by the author and director Liu Yadao, in which he reflects on the effects that love has on us and on the people we love. Even though we never intend to harm those we love, it can be cruel to ourselves and the loved ones.
In “Annas secret”, Anna lives a happy life, until the moment she discovers the secret hidden on her husband’s cellphone. Although she wishes to live a quiet and balanced life, the secret is turning her life upside down.

Venue: Admiralspalast (Studio)
Date/Time: Thursday, May 25th, 7 pm

Theater: “The Secret of Mike and Bai”

“The Secret of Mr. Bai” is another part of the trilogy by Liu Yadao. It is a drama about life, love, and death. Mr. Bai has been nursing his death sick mother, who is lying in a coma for 10 years. The love and care for his mother had already cost him his wife and daughter, who have left him, as he now loses his job. The play tells a story about a long farewell, loneliness, fear and suicide.

Venue: Admiralspalast (Studio)
Date/Time: Sunday, May 28th, 7 pm

Korean Culture Program

The ChangeExchange project supports the exchange of art and artists between South Korea and Germany. In the framework of the APW 2017, there the project has arranged several exhibits, talks, and discussions that deal with this year’s theme: „encounters in the digital world“.

Exhibition: ChangeExchange I with works by Yang Pyong

Venue: Urania Berlin e.V.
An der Urania 17, 10787 Berlin
Date/Time Vernissage: May 16th, 6pm and onwards

Guided tour and panel discussion: ChangeExchange at the Stadtmuseum

Guided tour through the Ephraim-Palais, followed by a panel discussion about the cultural cooperation between the Märkisches Museum and the Yangpyeong Art Museum.

Venue: Ephraim-Palais/Stadtmuseum
Poststraße 16, 10178 Berlin
Date/Time: May 16th, 1pm (guided tour) and 2pm (panel discussion)

Official Opening and Discussion with Mayor Kim Sun Kyu

Venue: Galerie VBK
Schöneberger Ufer 57, 10785 Berlin
Date/Time: May 17th, 1pm

Speech: “Korea, the country, its culture and its attractions”

Exclusively for this speech, Mr. Cho will arrive in Berlin. He is a member of the South Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and CEO of Yangpyeong County.

Venue: Urania e.V.
Date/Time: May 19th, 5.30pm

Spring seminar and book launch: Startups II

Venue: Koreanisches Kulturzentrum
Leipziger Platz 3, 10117 Berlin
Date/Time: May 20th, 2pm

Plainair at the Freundschaftsinsel Potsdam

Venue: Pavillion on the Freundschaftsinsel
Lange Brücke , 14467 Potsdam
Date: From May 22nd to June 30th

Exhibition: ChangeExchange II - “Dialogue of Hanji nd Europe in the Digital Age

The artist and professor Lee Sang Chan will perform Korean calligraphy at the vernissage. The exhibition will be open to visitors from May 27th to June 10th in cooperation with the VBK and the International Artist Assosiation in Korea. The invitation can be found here.

Venue: Urania Berlin e.V.
Date/Time of the Vernissage: May 27th, 6pm

ASEAN Movie Festival

The ASEAN embassies present: The ASEAN Movie Festival
All screenings take place at Haus Ungarn, Karls-Liebknecht-Str. 9, Berlin. No reservation is needed.

Brunei: Yasmine

The movie is the second ever commercial movie from Brunei. It tells the story of Yasmine, who works to become a master at Silat, Indonesia’s version of Kung Fu. Despite her strict father, who thinks that fighting is not for girls and a bored teacher, she strives to win the championship.
Screening: May 17, 19:00

Indonesia: Negeri van Oranje

The movie tells the story of Lintang and her friends, who came to the Netherlands to study for their post-graduate degree. Together they master the life in a foreign country, and eventually, Lintang falls in love. But life is never easy and a great problem surfaces just as she is about to get married.
Screening: May 17, 21:00

Myanmar: Kayan Beauties

Three women and a girl from a remote Kayan village in Myanmar go to a distant city to sell their crafts. In the city, the girl is kidnapped by human traffickers. Determined to find her, the Kayan women start a challenging journey. The movie has won the Juror’s Special Award at the 2013 ASEAN International Film Festival.
Screening: May 19, 18:00

Singapore: 7 Letters

The movie was initially produced to celebrate Singapore’s 50th anniversary. Told from the perspective of seven people, seven renowned directors tell the stories of ordinary Singaporean people and achieve to let one understand the uniqueness of the country, its people, its culture and its history.
Screening: May 19, 20:00

Indian Culture Program

The Indian embassy invites you to three cultural evenings with special guests from India.

Concert: Bipula Taranga

The concert unveils the invinite beauty of the changing seasons and nature. The concert is a bouquet of songs by the great Indian poet Gurudey Rabindranath Tagore. It will be presented by three renowed artists, who are some of the best in India in their art.

Date/Time: Monday, May 15, 18:00

Music & Dance: Tagore and Kabir

Rabindranath Tagore translated 100 Dohans of Kabir into English - ‘Hundred Songs of Kabir’ have turned out to be immensely popular and have been instrumental in spreading Kabir’s divine message. Some of Tagores remarkable songs are directly indebted to Kabir’s creation. The presentation will include dance performances, reading of the script and a talk.
Date/Time: Tuesday, May 16, 18:00

Movie: Dear Zindagi

The movie Dear Zindagi-Liebesbrief an das Leben is the story of Kaira (Alia Bhatt), an aspiring camera woman, looking for the perfect life. A random encounter with the self-willed Jug (Shah Rukh Khan) helps Kaira to gain a new perspective on life and discover the true happiness.
You are invited for spicy crispy Samosas during the film intermission.

Date/Time: Wednesday, May 17, 18:00

Venue: Embassy of India
Tiergartenstr. 17, 10785 Berlin

Aedes Architecture Forum

Exhibition:
Mind Landscapes
The Aedes Architecture Forum in cooperation with Studio Zhu-Pei, Beijing presents: Mind Landscapes. Beijing architect Zhu Pei belongs to the leading architects in China. Faced with the ongoing urbanization, a rapid rate of urban growth, and the commercial pressure in a mass- and consumer society, he aims at providing substantial solutions to these challenges which also satisfy the need for authentic architectural expression. Both conceptually and aesthetically, the projects featured in this exhibition reflect the architect’s desire to fuse local narratives and traditional forms of expression with a new visual language.
The exhibition which is part of the Chinese-German Cultural Program 2017 will end on May 18th.

Venue: Aedes Architecture Forum
Christinenstr. 18-19, 10119 Berlin
Opening hours:
Tue – Fri : 11am – 6.30pm
Sun – Mon: 1pm – 5pm

Exhibition: CONSTRUCTING CULTURE

Stretching across 40 hectares of reclaimed land, the West Kowloon Cultural District is one of the largest cultural projects in the world, blending art, education and open space. The district is an extraordinary project that aims to support the collaboration of art, economy, and the people.The architecture of the district will be the subject of the show, that is supported by the government of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Berlin.

Prior to the Opening Ceremony, there will be talks and a panel discussion with the Duncan Prescod, CEO of the West Kowloon Cultural District and other collaborators. The ceremony will be opened by a representant of the Senate and many contributors of the project will be attending.

Venue: Aedes Architecture Forum
Date: May 26th and onwards
Panel discussion: 4pm
Opening Ceremony: 6.30pm

Haus der Kulturen der Welt

Exhibition:
Misfits
Misfits are outsider figures that do not fit in. How can they help to question the frameworks and the storytelling of modern art? With abstract expressionism and experiments with non-traditional formats, the artists Tang Chang, Rox Lee and Bagyi Aung Soe refuse to align with modern art. The exhibition shows a collection of pieces, that are mostly new to a wider audience.
Guided tour: Monday, May 15th, 5 PM
Tickets: 3€ plus entrance fee

Exhibition:
2 or 3 tigers
This exhibition derives its title from the work of artist, filmmaker and theater creator Ho Tzu Nyen, who explores the shifting shapes of tigers and weretigers in the ancient and modern mythology of Malaysia and Singapore. Some of the contributions reflect on histories of suppression, militarization, and exploitation in Cold War era in Japan and Korea, whereas others present the tiger as an iconic medium of Asian military nationalism. They all have in common that they reflect the tensions and intersections of a concept of media linking spiritual points of reference and technological means of representation.

Venue: Haus der Kulturen der Welt
John-Foster-Dulles-Allee 10, 10557 Berlin
Opening hours: Wed – Mon: 11 AM – 7 PM

Tea & Art

Exhibition: “Lotus and Wudang Mountains” and lecture about Tea and Daoism

Nannuoshan is a small, but very delicate tea house. During the APW, they invite you to “Lotus and Wudang Mountains”, the solo exhibition by Chinese artist Wenzhuo Liu. Wenzhou is an artist, a tea master and a musician from Shen Yang in China. Her works of art range from traditional Chinese ink painting and calligraphy to fabric and porcelain paintings.
The vernissage is followed by a brief demonstration of Tai Chi and an open lecture about Tea and Dao lead by Liu De Ming, Daoist priests, and masters of inner martial arts.
Afterward, you can taste exquisite Chinese tea in a traditional tea ceremony.

Venue: Nannuoshan in den Heckmann-Höfen
Oranienburger Str. 32, 10117 Berlin
Date/Time: Saturday, May 20th, 4 PM-7 PM
The event is free. Please sign up with [email protected]

Kulturabend Indonesien

Tanz, Reisebericht und Finger Food aus West Java

Die Volkshochschule Berlin Mitte bietet im Rahmen der Asien Pazifik-Wochen einen Kulturabend zu der indonesischen Provinz West Java an. Es wird Tanz und Musik, einen kleinen Sprachkurs Indonesisch, Reiseberichte und Vorträge über die Kultur, sowie ein kleines Fingerfood Menü geben.

Ort: VHS Berlin Mitte
Linienstr. 162, 10115 Berlin, Raum 1.12
Datum/Zeit: Freitag, 19. Mai, 19:00 Uhr
Reservation: [email protected]
The event is in German only.

Experience India: Exhibition Lunch

Art and Cuisine are two very essential parts of a culture. Back in the days, in India, everyone simply knew where the good food was: at the table at home; down by the lanes of the small towns and cities. But the world has changed and so has the attachment to food. The lunch will rediscover these connections. The exhibition at the gallery explores the connections between memories, the spiritual self, and real life structures. The artist generates a fertile imaginary cosmos, which sways the observer and encourages new thought process to develop.
The event “Experience India: Exhibition Lunch” combines these two elements of culture. The gallery UNDER THE MANGO TREE invites to a special Indian lunch, prepared by the owner herself, and the exhibition of Joerdis Mahanta. The artist will be present.

The exhibition is open to visitors until May 27th. Please note, that the event is by invitation only. The invitation can be found here.

Venue: Gallery UNDER THE MANGO TREE
Merseburger Straße 14, 10823 Berlin
Opening hours exhibition: Tuesdays-Friday: 3.30 PM-6.30 PM, Saturday: 1 PM-4.30 PM

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