- Visual Art
- Installation
- Public Art
German is a difficult language
Arif Akdenizli
27 June 2025 19:00 – 29 June 2025 19:00
The festival theme “WTF” deals with the concepts of reality and perception and links them to the topics of migration, language and orientation.
Arif Akdenizli's project aims to make visible the tension between the legal reality – embodied by the strict language requirements of German immigration laws – and the lived social reality. It invites us to reflect on the phenomena that arise around the German language and whether they actually correspond to reality.
Migration and language are inextricably linked, but are there not also exceptional social conditions in which alternative realities emerge? Do we really have to speak German? Is it a social necessity or merely a product of bureaucratic requirements? And is language really the key to integration?
The artist wants to explore these questions in a graphic, provocative design language.
His approach combines personal experiences of migration with a bold, direct aesthetic that deliberately seeks dialog. The design operates at the interface between public space and exhibition space, creating a setting that integrates reflection on language, belonging and reality into everyday life.
Arif Akdenizli's project aims to make visible the tension between the legal reality – embodied by the strict language requirements of German immigration laws – and the lived social reality. It invites us to reflect on the phenomena that arise around the German language and whether they actually correspond to reality.
Migration and language are inextricably linked, but are there not also exceptional social conditions in which alternative realities emerge? Do we really have to speak German? Is it a social necessity or merely a product of bureaucratic requirements? And is language really the key to integration?
The artist wants to explore these questions in a graphic, provocative design language.
His approach combines personal experiences of migration with a bold, direct aesthetic that deliberately seeks dialog. The design operates at the interface between public space and exhibition space, creating a setting that integrates reflection on language, belonging and reality into everyday life.
Biography
Arif Akdenizli
Arif Akdenizli lives and works in Berlin (*1995 in Turkey). His works – film, video, photography, installation, works on paper and textile art – focus on displacement, marginalization, exclusion, identity and state control. Between 2014 and 2018, he studied film in Istanbul. He took part in numerous exhibitions and film festivals.
Since 2023 he has been studying Fine Arts at Berlin University of the Arts (UdK Berlin) with Prof. Ina Weber.
Arif Akdenizli founded Studio Nein, a creative space for artistic exchange, in 2024. In his studio, he plans collaborations with other artists. He designs and distributes his own collection, which is connected to his work.
Since 2023 he has been studying Fine Arts at Berlin University of the Arts (UdK Berlin) with Prof. Ina Weber.
Arif Akdenizli founded Studio Nein, a creative space for artistic exchange, in 2024. In his studio, he plans collaborations with other artists. He designs and distributes his own collection, which is connected to his work.
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