The exhibition "Once We Were Trees, Now We Are Birds" brings together some 50 positions from different disciplines, such as visual art, performance, literature and photography, addressing issues such as social violence, political suppression, restrictions on freedom of speech and human rights. Among other things, it explores the circumstances leading to loss of homeland and how life changes in a new home country. It includes considerations of current challenges, such as migration policy, anti-Muslim racism and the growth of authoritarian forces.

For the exhibition, each artist designs a poster which visitors can take away with them. Posters have a long tradition as a medium for information, freedom of speech and artistic activism. At the same time, as printed works, posters are a counterpart to the endless stream of digital images and may be understood as an act of resistance. The exhibition takes up these threads.

ifa Gallery Berlin
Curators: Anna Karpenko, Emrah Gökdemir, Muhammad Salah Abdulaziz, Thibaut de Ruyter 
Exhibition Architecture: Thibaut de Ruyter 
Graphic Design: Natasha Agapova