Sergei Parajanov (or Sergei Iossifovich Parajanov according to Wikipedia) was one of the most important film directors of the Soviet Union. Three nations at once: Armenians, Georgians and Ukrainians claim him as their national genius. Born on January 9, 1924 in Tbilisi, Georgia, the filmmaker studied in Kiev, Ukraine, where he also made his first films. His first feature film from 1965, Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors, was awarded the Golden Medal at the Thessaloniki Film Festival in the very first year of its premiere and received awards in France and England. The film achieved cult status in the Soviet Union. Sergei Parajanov became known not only for his films, which attracted great international attention and probably even influenced Pier Paolo Pasolini, but also as a visual artist and prominent prisoner of Soviet camps. Federico Fellini supported him for years and tried to maintain international attention. Parajanov was greatly revered in Armenia, and his film The Color of Pomegranate (1969) is still considered an icon today. In 1988, an impressive museum dedicated to his life and work was opened in the Armenian capital Yerevan while the filmmaker was still alive.

The exhibition, which will open on Friday, November 29, 2024, at the InteriorDaein, is remarkable as an initiative of Armenian associations that invited compatriots living in Germany to celebrate the birthday of the famous filmmaker with works of art. Anahid Babayan from the Armenische Kulturgemeinde Leipzig e.V. organized the call and arranged the first exhibition in Eduard Panosian’s studio in Leipzig’s city centre. On August 30, 25 artists were represented in the exhibition. The exhibition was then invited to Halle an der Saale and presented to art lovers by Ararat Kultur Halle-Hoffe Saale e.V.. Now the exhibition is coming to InteriorDasein, where numerous exhibitions have been dedicated to Armenian visual art since 2008. We are particularly pleased that we have been able to attract further artists for this exhibition. Both from Berlin and from abroad. On display are paintings, drawings, prints, collages and assemblages, photographs and AI-generated images. The list of artists is long:

Elina Aboyan (Leipzig), Avo Arakelian (Berlin), Maria Arend (Berlin), Sirarpi Asatryan (Berlin), Avag Avagyan (Berlin), Suren Changlyan (Oldenburg), Zorik Davidyan (Chemnitz), Silvina der Meguerditchian (Berlin), Rosanna Eisenmenger-Karapetyan (Berlin), Samvel Gabrielian (Leipzig), Archi Galentz (Berlin), Stepan Gantralyan (Berlin), Sam Grigoryan (Berlin), Mariette Grigoryan (Bremen), Eva Harut (Dresden), Ararat Haydeyan (Saathain), Hasmik Hovsepyan-Haydeyan (Kleinkmehlen), Hratch Kaloustian (Halle Saale), Gagik Kurginian (Berlin), Elina Martirosyan (Berlin), Hakobyan Mkhitar (Siegen), Anahit Mkrtchyan (Oranienburg), Michail Schnittmann (Berlin), Nagash Tarzyan (Hürth), Ani Tiedemann (Oranienburg), Armen Vanetyan (Berlin), VAZO (Vazgen Pahlavuni Tadevosyan)(Die, France) and others.

On Sunday, December 1st from 6 pm we invite you to a musical evening with Roksana Vikaluk, Ukrainian singer, composer and multi-instrumentalist. As part of the group exhibition on the 100th anniversary of Parajanov. Inspired by the masterpiece Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors, Roksana will perform vocal improvisations of Ukrainian folk songs and share with us some stories from her family’s life in relation to the great master.

The exhibition in InteriorDAsein will remain until January 9, 2025 and is accessible by appointment after opening hours during Kolonie Weekend.

Guest exhibition of Dutch artists in InteriorDAsein and Toolbox. In collaboration with Kunstruimte 411, Haarlem, Netherlands. Curated by Hans Kuiper and Archi Galentz.

With works by Marius van Zandwijk (painting), Aquil Copier (painting), Piet Zwaanswijk (print and collage), Jessica Assmann-Zwaanswijk (painting), Sina Khani (painting), Ilja Warmerdam (painting), MC de Waal (photography), Antonio Rego (digital drawing prints), Gerard Veldman (painting), Daan van Houten (drawing/woodcut),  Rene Bosch (photography/Painting), Tarik Sadouma (AI-Print)  and Hans Kuiper (drawing/painting). 

In dialogue with Berlin artists: Gisa Hausmann, Jelisaweta Klutschewskaja, Edwin Dickman, Klaus Jürgeit, Tamara Ivanova, Marina Koldobskaja, Jovan Balov,  Thomas J.Richter, Cristina Artola, Svenja Schüffler, Markus Schaller, Gagik Kurginian, Julia Katan, Julia Kissina, Patrick Huber and others.

Opening on Friday, October 25th from 7 p.m. in InteriorDAsein, supervised by Archi Galentz and at the same time in ToolBox, supervised by Hans Kuiper

Opening hours after the colony weekend by prior arrangement.
Finissage on November 24th from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. in ToolBox and from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. in InteriorDAsein.

Mythical Images – On Relevance of a Refuge

28.03.2025 – 20.04.2025

Myths have momentum in times of societal upheaval. The observer needs education and foreknowledge to have access to these visual worlds. The artists have to reinterpret and structure of myths again and again. Neither of these processes is quick. There is no one cannon. And the creative game with associations, parallels between ancient times and our modern world and references to current events make myths extremely interesting as a subject-matter. In the age of black-and-white painting, cancel culture, and minority-based quality assessments, mythical formations provide a certain way out of the misery of existence, help bridge times of uncertainty and carry messages for art enthusiasts for today and the future.

Showing works by: Tigran Tokmajyan (1923 – 2004), Edwin Dickman (1929-2023), Peter Hahlbrock (1934-2015), Gisela Breitling (1939-2018), Gisa Hausmann (1942-2015), Aude de Kerros (*1947), Thomas J.Richter (*1955), Oleg Neishtadt (*1962), Philipp Mager (*1966), Archi Galentz (*1971), Julia Katan (*1997) and others.

The presented works were created between 1958 and 2025: sketches, woodprints, lithographs, watercolors, oil paintings and AI-generated prints.

The exhibition in InteriorDAsein refers to the double exhibition “… through mythical zones” with works by Edwin Dickman (died in December 2023 at the age of 94) and Archi Galentz. This exhibition was held from 14.02. until 14.03.2025, shown in the producer gallery SpiritTransfer in Moers near Duisburg, the exhibition in InteriorDAsein expands the selection shown in Moers with more works.

Screen Memories – Inner Landscapes

5.06.2025 – 6.07.2025

Group show of Maria Arendt, Dragana Latinović and Tatjana Strugar

Opening: Thursday 5th of June 2025, starting 19:00. Artists are present
Duration: till 6th of July.

Open by appointment and during Kolonie Wedding June weekend openings: on Friday 27th of June from 18.00 to 22.00, on Saturday 28th of June from 14.00 to 18.00 and on Sunday 29th of June from 14:00 to 20:00

Periods of cultural and political uncertainty often lead to an inward turn. In the absence of coherent collective narratives, artists turn to personal memory, emotional perception, and visual archetypes as a way to construct meaning. Screen Memories – Inner Landscapes brings together three women artists of Slavic origin — Maria Arendt, Dragana Latinović, and Tatjana Strugar — whose works unfold in the space between subjective recollection and abstract form.

Inspired by Sigmund Freud’s idea of “screen memories” — altered recollections that hide deeper, often painful experiences — these artists create works that capture emotionally charged, dreamlike images. Their art doesn’t just depict the past; it shows how memories are felt and reshaped.

Each artist has a unique style. Maria Arendt’s sensuous works emphasize breath and calm. Dragana Latinović creates delicate, poetic spaces where nature, the body, and light intertwine. Tatjana Strugar explores personal and cultural trauma through layered, emotional pieces centered on feminine experiences.

The exhibition features paintings, drawings, and mixed media works created between 2019 and 2025. Rather than telling straightforward stories, Screen Memories – Inner Landscapes offers a space where dreams, reality, bodies, and landscapes blur. Viewers are invited to linger, feel, and reflect.

Maria Arendt is an active contemporary artist. She is particularly inspired by Indian embroidery and works with textiles. She studied iconography as well and experimented in the fields of graphic art, illustration, and collage.

The artist was born in 1968 in Moscow, USSR and lives in Berlin. Since her childhood, she has been influenced by her artistic surroundings; her grandmother, Ariadna Arendt, was a famous animalist sculptor. Until the age of 17, Maria lived in the “Artists’ Village” on Maslovka Street in Moscow. And at the age of 6, she first participated in an appartment exhibition of Moscow avant-garde artists. Since 1989, after graduation from Moscow College of Industrial and Applied Arts, she has participated in more than 100 exhibitions in numerous countries.

Her artworks are part of the collections of the Russian Museum, State Tretyakov Gallery, Shchusev Museum of Architecture, Garage, Moscow, Museum of Modern Art, and in numerous private collections. 2012 Maria Arendt took part at the Kosmos as Presence – V5 – art convention at InteriorDAsein (see: http://www.interiordasein.de/ausstellungen/qv5q-kosmos-art-convent )

Dragana Latinović is a multidisciplinary artist born in Kikinda, Serbia and based now in Berlin. Her work spans visual arts, documentary filmmaking, and multimedia installations. Her artistic journey is deeply rooted in exploring the interconnectedness of all life forms and the existential essence of human experience.

Beyond her artistic creations, Latinović is actively involved in social activism, education, and collaborations with scientific institutions like Johns Hopkins University and the University of Bristol. Her work often intersects with cognitive sciences, aiming to bridge art and scientific understanding. She explores the relationship between the individual and the collective, often through emotionally layered visual storytelling. Trained in graphic art at the Academy of Fine Art  Novi Sad and film directing at HfbK in Hamburg, she co-founded Clear Cut Films Documentary to develop human-centered nonfiction projects. Her short film Brothers’ Dance became a cult classic in the former Yugoslavia, and her recent documentary Colors in My Eye was selected for the Beldocs Pitching Forum, MakeCoProDox, and Dok.Forum München.

Alongside her visual art and filmmaking, she curates exhibitions and coordinates film events. One of her recent curatorial projects is a VR exhibition by Serbian visually impaired artist Jelena Jakonić. The work simulates Jelena’s unique visual perceptionv — seeing colors without defined shapes — which is not a common experience among visually impaired people.  

Tatjana Strugar, a UK-based visual artist with a background in fine arts and film costume design. Born 1966 in Belgrade, lived in Switzerland, France, USA and Serbia. Her work exhibited across the UK, Serbia, Croatia, and Brazil.

Her debut solo exhibition Positions (2004) featured “The Loop” – a pioneering permanent installation and the first ramp in a Belgrade gallery to enhance accessibility for mobility-challenged visitors. It set the base for her work- exploring the interplay of art, society, and politics.In her works a recurring motif appears: the sky viewed through branched treetops, a vision sparked by a euphoric romance  of spring 2005. As that initial charm faded, sketches morphed into nightmarish abstractions, mirroring the tangled interplay between the idealism of art and the messy realities of everyday politics. Through persistent reworking, she fought to preserve the vividness, color, and innocence of that fleeting moment, much like one clings to hope amid societal power struggles, systemic misogyny, or political upheaval. While attending psychoanalysis,  this imagery reflected in Freud’s “screen memories”—benign shields guarding her from personal and collective traumas, from her childhood in a dissolving Yugoslavia, end of her marriage, experinece of motherhood, sexual abuse… the branches went on…

Screen Memories – Inner Landscapes group exhibition finds a fitting home at InteriorDAsein, a space run by Archi Galentz, where careful presentation meets craftsmanship. The exhibition’s focus on memory, perception, and emotional resonance aligns with the space’s commitment to thoughtful framing and intimate engagement. Here, the boundary between workshop and exhibition dissolves — making InteriorDAsein not just a venue, but an active participant in the transmission of artistic meaning.

Closing event of Screen Memories – Inner Landscapes is on Sunday, 6th of July, starting 18.00