Make-up e.V. invites to "Exploring Poetics of Resistance," a one-day event that positions art not merely as observation, but as an active force operating between aesthetics, everyday life, and community. Curated by Make-up, the evening unfolds as a series of interconnected experiences where self-organization and subtle interventions become acts of political agency.

The program begins by grounding the audience in the curatorial concept through insights from an ongoing reading group, setting the stage for four distinct artistic interventions. Johanna Ackva and Yen Lee presents "Singing Nearby," a collaborative performance navigating the delicate oscillation between the intimate self and the political world through movement and voice. Following this, de_colonialanguage transforms the public sphere into a collaborative archive, inviting passersby to contribute words that map Wedding's colonial history onto the space through interactive poetry creation. The spatial dimension of resistance is further explored by [ufo ufo], whose video work "The Way Things Lasts" visualizes the emergence of self-organized urban spaces and how collectives sustain these fragile urban environments, the 15min screening of the work is followed by a 20min Q&A. Leigh Sayers and Martin Dieudonné present an intimate encounter through live painting. This tender exploration invites witnesses to observe the frisson of resonance and difference, questioning what new relational terrain opens when the trans body asserts its potential to alter reality while surrendering control over how it is reflected by the other.

Throughout the night, a guided tour contextualizes these works within broader questions of political action, while shared food fosters a sense of communal belonging. By weaving together performances, installations, screenings, and dialogue, the event creates a living laboratory where poetry becomes a method of resistance, inviting participants to reimagine their relationship with the city and each other.

Make-up

Make-up is a self-organised non-profit project space, studio community, and association in Berlin. Located in a former carpentry workshop on Papierstraße, it was transformed in Autumn 2020 into an open space for creative encounters, production, discussion, performance, neighbourhood and art. The space provides ateliers for artists and researchers, as well as a sound studio, an event space, a wood workshop, an outside kitchen with a wood-fired oven, a courtyard with a garden and a stage, a kitchen and two saunas. Make-up is a community of around 15 artists, friends, neighbours and visitors. It is a place for transdisciplinary collaboration, solidarity, respectful togetherness, and joint experimentation. Everybody is welcome to come by, participate in events and join projects at Make-up!

Founded: 2020