Art and Solidarity – A Matinee with Maria Kalesnikava
21 Jun 2026, 11 am – 2 pm
A discussion with Maria Kalesnikava, Christine Fischer, Tatsiana Khomich and Kai Ohrem, moderated by Johanna M. Keller, featuring musical performances by Katsia Kaya, Gregory Kharaneka and Jana Ščarbakowa
- Location:
Schloss Bellevue - Date:
21 Jun 2026 - Time:
11 am – 2 pm - Cooperation(s):
Goethe-Institut e. V. - Languages: German
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Schloss Bellevue, Spreeweg 1, 10557 Berlin-Tiergarten
Free admission
An event as part of the exhibition “FREIRAUM KUNST. Akademie der Künste Goes Bellevue”
A free ticket is required to attend the event. Tickets can only be booked online at freiraum-kunst.eu.
No tickets will be available at the venue. Tickets are personal and non-transferable. You may register up to three accompanying guests. Further information can be found at freiraum-kunst.eu.
Freedom – not just artistic freedom – is a barometer of democratic societies. Maria Kalesnikava bears witness to what its loss means. In 2020, the Belarusian musician, cultural manager and political dissident was imprisoned in Belarus for her civil rights activism and resistance to the long-standing ruler Alexander Lukashenko. She spent five years in captivity, much of that time in solitary confinement. Thanks to international pressure and negotiations, she was unexpectedly released in December 2025. Since then, she has been speaking out on behalf of all those artists suffering from repression, political persecution and professional bans. She is a passionate advocate for humanity, solidarity and social responsibility.
Together with her long-standing supporters Christine Fischer, Tatsiana Khomich and Kai Ohrem, Maria Kalesnikava will speak at a matinee event about the role of art and culture in democratic societies, her commitment to a free Belarus and the power of solidarity – even across national borders.
The discussion will be accompanied musically by the Belarusian musicians Katsia Kaya, Gregory Kharaneka and Jana Ščarbakowa, who remained in solidarity with Maria Kalesnikava even during her imprisonment.
The event is being held in cooperation with the Goethe-Institut, which is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year. It is committed worldwide to cultural exchange, artistic networking and open dialogue in democratic societies – themes that also lie at the heart of this matinee. At the same time, the event builds on the close collaboration between the now-closed Goethe-Institut Belarus and Maria Kalesnikava, who headed the OK16 cultural centre in Minsk until her imprisonment in 2020.
With the kind support of
