Descent into the Marsh
Saturday, 25.1.2025 // 15:00-21:00
The Belarusian revolution of summer 2020 was a fleeting utopia of peaceful resistance. What has changed in the years since? What bridges has civil society built, and which have been irreparably lost? Belarusians are still searching for a language to confront and narrate their collective past. One such effort is the book “Descent into the Marsh” by Belarusian artist Lesia Pcholka, which draws parallels between the protests in Hong Kong (2019-2020) and Belarus (2020-2021) as examples of horizontal revolutions in a modern age.
25 January 2025 is the last day of the electoral cycle in Belarus. New elections are due, but there are no expectations and there might be no surprises. There is no opposition in the country, only increasing repression and international isolation, and millions of people have been forced to leave the country. The four nominal “opponents” of the illegitimate Lukashenko in his seventh presidential race act “not instead – but together”, playing their roles while the dictator tries to regain European acceptance by skilfully navigating between Russia and China.
We invite you to spend this last day of the election cycle together. To sum up the results and to understand if we have found a way to talk about Belarus and to examine how transparent Hong Kong’s politics are.
An exhibition by Lesia Pcholka and Daria Sazanovich, in which fragments of images from the protests are transformed into new forms, will frame the event.
Lesia Pcholka will give a lecture about her book and on the recent history of Belarus. Karen Cheung will immerse you in the legacy of Hong Kong’s resistance and discuss its current realities. The evening will conclude with a DJ set by Keishi Akashi, providing space for connection and networking.
Come dance on the wreckage of old bridges to build new ones!
15:00 Opening exhibition by Lesia Pcholka and Daria Sazanovich
17:00 Lecture performance by Lesia Pcholka
18:00 Presentation by Karen Cheung
18:30 DJ set by Keishi Akashi; networking and get-together
Lesia Pcholka is a Belarusian visual artist and activist based in Berlin and Bielsk Podlaski. She is the founder of the VEHA Archive, dedicated to preserving Belarusian vernacular photography and exploring collective memory. Pcholka’s work bridges archival practice, migration narratives, and social transformation, using photography, video, and installations to examine undocumented histories and political trauma. Her projects connect cultural heritage with contemporary migration and displacement, reflecting on identity and resilience in the face of authoritarianism and exile.
www.instagram.com/lestvoidom
Daria Sazanovich is a Belarusian multidisciplinary artist better known under her nickname sheeborshee. Currently based between Bremen and Hamburg. In her art practice, she is dealing with power abuse, insecurities, forms of oppression, apocalyptic scenarios with a playful and humorous approach. Involved in several civil rights initiatives collaborating as an illustrator and designer.
www.instagram.com/sheeborshee
Karen Cheung is a producer, curator and researcher. Born and raised in Hong Kong, now based in Berlin, Germany. During her stay in Berlin, she curated several film programmes (selected): Waves of Freedom (2023, in collaboration with Robert Havemann Stiftung, Stasi Museum and Bundesarchiv), The H-Ville (Experiments in cinema, New Mexico, 2023). With her cross-disciplinary experiences, she also produces works focused on feminism, refugee issues and racism (selected): “Ling’s Request” (Animated short, in pre-production) and sound installation “Exclave” (2023).
www.instagram.com/karen_kw_cheung