How often do we encounter water in a single day? When brushing our teeth, washing our hands, cooking, bathing – in the form of lakes, ice, rain or clouds: water is everywhere! And we absolutely need it in our everyday lives. After all, we humans are also largely made up of water! But water is more than just a part of everyday life – it can be mysterious, powerful and even magical. In ancient myths, songs and pictures we encounter mermaids, sirens and sea goddesses. They tell of how important the sea was – and still is today – for fishermen, sailors and people living on the coasts.

This year's "Artist of the Year", Charmaine Poh from Singapore – a port city on the South China Sea – dedicates her video work "The Moon is Wet" (2025) to the history of water in her homeland. The focus is on a sea goddess named Mazu. In this workshop we will delve into this story and then discover how we can create art with water ourselves!

In German
Please register here.

Well, who are you? You are not only defined by your body and what you look like, but also by what you like and what is important to you. Favorite ice cream, cuddly toys, family, your city – all of this makes up who you are. The artist Charmaine Poh also asks herself such questions: Where do the people who live together in a city come from? What makes them happy or sad? And how do they live in their surroundings? In her pictures and films, she observes people in very different worlds. Together we will go on a search for clues in the exhibition. We will look at how the photos and films affect us. What do they show, and what might be missing? Finally, we will talk about our own self-portraits and about who we are.

In German
Registration via KinderKulturMonat

Well, who are you? You are not only defined by your body and what you look like, but also by what you like and what is important to you. Favorite ice cream, cuddly toys, family, your city – all of this makes up who you are. The artist Charmaine Poh also asks herself such questions: Where do the people who live together in a city come from? What makes them happy or sad? And how do they live in their surroundings? In her pictures and films, she observes people in very different worlds. Together we will go on a search for clues in the exhibition. We will look at how the photos and films affect us. What do they show, and what might be missing? Finally, we will talk about our own self-portraits and about who we are.

Registration via KinderKulturMonat

What makes you feel at home? A little girl and her mother have to flee the war and leave their familiar, snow-covered city. Far away in the south, everything is different. The barren apartment, the foreign language, the view from the window. Even the mother seems absent and strange. Until one day they fold a large star out of paper together, just like they used to. Its warm glow brings back a piece of the old familiarity and at the same time allows something new to begin.

We will read "A Star in a Strange Land" as an interactive picture-book reading and visit the exhibition of Charmaine Poh, Deutsche Bank's "Artist of the Year", whose artistic work often deals with migration and the lives of women in exile. In the subsequent workshop, we will invent a cosy home for ourselves and fold luminous stars.

Anna Desnitskaya fled Russia with her family to Montenegro in 2022. She incorporated her experiences into this picture book. Reading with kind permission of Gerstenberg Verlag.

In cooperation with Krumulus

In German
Please register here.

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Illustration: Anna Desnitskaya from "A Star in a Strange Land" © Gerstenberg Verlag, 2024

Join us as we kick off the pre-Christmas season! On the first Advent, we invite you to a day full of creativity, art, music, and festive atmosphere at PalaisPopulaire. At our design and craft market, you can discover selected products from the fields of ceramics, jewelry, art, and more. Festive Advent wreaths will be created in a workshop with BASALAI FLOWERS (registration link will follow). For the youngest, there is a children's book reading in cooperation with the bookstore Krumulus, followed by a workshop (please register here). Or dive into the exhibition Make a travel deep of your inside, and don’t forget me to take by our “Artist of the Year,” Charmaine Poh, and enjoy winter treats like hot punch and fresh waffles at our Christmas stand.

Have you already discovered the special letters in the exhibition title Make a travel deep of your inside, and don’t forget me to take? They are inspired by a secret writing system: Nüshu. This script was developed about 600 years ago in China – by women, just for women. It allowed them to exchange ideas about things they weren't allowed to talk openly about with men: worries, everyday life, or even conflicts among themselves.

Deutsche Bank "Artist of the Year", Charmaine Poh, recalls this tradition in her work. Her artwork was inspired by this special bond between women. But how is a secret language actually created? What signs, symbols and meanings are needed for it?

In German
Please register here.

What sounds can you hear in the exhibition? Many works by Charmaine Poh – honored by Deutsche Bank as “Artist of the Year” – focus on the relationship between humankind and nature. Sounds such as rushing water, wind, or forest noises can be discovered in her works. What else do you perceive?

The Berliner Philharmoniker and the PalaisPopulaire invite children in grades 1–3 to embark on a creative sound journey together. Starting with individual works of art, we will go on a musical exhibition tour and compare the sounds of nature with the sounds of instruments. This exhibition visit will thus become a first small concert experience that invites participation, but also careful listening and watching.

In cooperation with Berliner Philharmoniker

In German
Please register here.

Masks can transform us – they let us slip into other roles, hide feelings or make them visible. With a mask, you can be someone completely different: wild, calm, old, young, brave or mysterious. The "Artist of the Year", Charmaine Poh, uses masks in several of her works, which are currently on display in the exhibition. Can you discover them all?

Together, we will take a closer look at some of these works of art and consider the effect the masks have on us. Then it’s your turn: Create your very own mask – imaginative, animalistic or enigmatic.

Please register here.